Leadership Skills

Impactful Questions Drive Growth

August 23, 2023 by DERGEL Executive Search Leave a Comment

Slicing through the noise, an insightful question will zero in on the elements that drive revenue growth.

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Asking impactful questions fuels economic advancement by shaping the trajectory of a company. There is profound significance in asking the right questions as it hones in on the crux of the matter. This habit also provides new perspectives that cultivate an environment of thinking differently and expanding the dialogue, which enriches long term economic growth.

How To Begin?

“A habit must be established before it can be improved,” James Clear wrote in Atomic Habits. It does not matter how seasoned we presently are at asking questions, as we regularly invest in the practice, improvement will blossom. An example could be to ask one well thought out question per week. The individual establishing this habit will be in a different league in one year’s time. An impactful question isn’t necessarily a question of high-level language, but rather of high-level importance and clarity.

Inquiry, An Essential Leadership Habit

The skill of asking profound questions is an invaluable asset, let’s explore how:

Customer-Centric Disruption

To drive innovation that resonates with customers, questions like, “What unmet needs are our customers experiencing, and how can we create solutions that address these pain points?” focuses on investing in present and future customer growth.

Feedback Loop Enhancement

Leaders can use questions to improve team dynamics and innovation. “What aspects of our current processes hinder collaboration and idea-sharing?” By soliciting candid feedback, leaders create opportunities to refine internal practices and foster an atmosphere of continuous improvement.

We Didn’t Know That We Didn’t Know

A gap in knowledge may not be immediately uncovered. By creating a habit of regularly asking questions, we create a habit of uncovering key information that we may not have known we needed. By probing beneath the obvious, we can expose hidden opportunities as well as potential risks that might otherwise remain unnoticed.

Challenging Assumptions to Spark Innovation

Innovation flourishes when assumptions are challenged. Instead of settling for the conventional path, consider asking, “What if we approached this challenge from an entirely different angle?” This question prompts your team to break free from established thought patterns and explore innovative solutions that may have previously been overlooked. By encouraging ‘why’ and ‘what if’ questions, leaders open the door to disruptive ideas that fuel growth.

Reverse Engineering

Leaders can further encourage innovative thinking by asking questions that reverse engineer existing solutions. “If we were to start from scratch, how would we solve this problem differently?” This prompts teams to reexamine assumptions and discover novel approaches that can lead to breakthroughs and more efficient operations.

Interdisciplinary Exploration

“How can principles from a seemingly unrelated field inspire us to innovate in our industry?” This approach stirs fresh perspectives, invites in new angles, and opens potential interdisciplinary collaboration.

Clarifying Objectives

A good question has the power to distill complex goals into their essential components. Leaders who master this technique clarify the overarching objectives and guide their teams to channel their efforts purposefully. The result is a workforce aligned with a shared vision, propelling the organization towards revenue advancement.

Examples of Impactful Questions Organizations Could Be Asking

What Are Our Blind Spots?

What Can We Learn from Our Competitors’ Successes?

Are We Innovating from the Customer’s Perspective?

How Can We Make Decision-Making More Well Rounded & Wholistic?

What ‘Best Practices’ Are We Holding Onto, That Are Holding Us Back?

How Can We Foster Interdepartmental Synergy?

What Can We Learn from Our Former Employees?

How Can We Create More Value for Our Partners And Relationships?

What Could Make Our Customers Loyalty Waver?

What Are We Not Asking That We Should Be?

Are We Overlooking Low-Hanging Fruit?

It can be daunting to ask questions as it brings seemingly dormant problems to the forefront, but in truth, it is actually bringing solutions to the forefront! When members of an organization embrace the art of questioning, an atmosphere of continuous improvement is nurtured. This fuels profitable growth as teams rally around improving their systems and products as well as innovative problem-solving.

“Ask questions the other person will enjoy answering,” said Dale Carnegie. Not all of our questions may achieve this, but when higher order questions also intersect with the interests of others, engaging and fruitful conversations often occur.

The power of inquiry remains a steadfast anchor guiding leaders and their organizations towards sustained success. Irrespective of titles, leaders who hone the skill of asking impactful questions are key in driving organizational growth.

Do you have comments, questions, ideas, or suggestions? Share with us at: [email protected]

Promoting Strong Team Connections

August 21, 2023 by DERGEL Executive Search Leave a Comment

*Photo by fauxels from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-having-business-meeting-together-3183183/*

Hiring managers promote bringing your most authentic selves to work. However, we can often miss the mark when we get caught up in the results, navigating a competitive market, and playing politics. While the primary focus of any organization is to promote its product or message, company culture is also a key driver for solid teams.

For teams working together in an office, there are a plethora of opportunities, such as:

Pre-work coffee talks
Team lunches
After-work meetups
Team outings

For teams who work predominantly remotely, finding time to connect on a human level can be a bit more challenging. Here are a few examples of ways to strengthen the bonds between employees:

Virtual Learning Opportunities. For teams who thrive on continuous learning, educational opportunities can help greatly with bringing your team together. Finding virtual team learning that exemplifies your employees’ strengths and interests can strengthen your team all around. Listen to your employees’ class preferences and set them up to attend them. Additionally, find out which topic would be of top interest to all employees (as a unit) and schedule a course. By implementing individual interests and group interests, you will improve skills across the board and highlight the passions of your team.

Team Book Club. Find books that inspire your team on an intellectual level and career level. Allow your team to present their insights in the manner that they find most comfortable. When it comes time to discuss the book, your team’s creativity will be showcased, and you will have a better understanding of their analytical interests. Some will come to the meeting with writings, some with speaking points, others with PowerPoints, some may even come with art they produced. A book club is a well-rounded option to promote creativity and allow your team to teach each other.

Dedicate some time for nonwork-related conversations. Utilize your face-to-face (virtual) meetings to include time for employees to talk to each other as people. This is an established practice for the DERGEL Media team. During this time, we discuss News, how it ties/compares to history, what it could mean for the future, and to bring it full circle: how it affects business leaders and their employees.

Maintaining solid bonds among your team in a healthy manner will promote confidence, creativity, and drive to support each other through difficult times. Take the time to understand your team on a human and intellectual level and build a plan that keeps them in mind. Whether your team is in-person, hybrid, or remote, you will uncover their greatest array of strengths and watch as they grow into their most authentic selves.

Mitigating Toxic Employee Behaviors: Maintain a Healthy Work Environment

August 14, 2023 by Katie Moran Leave a Comment

Employee retention is one of the most important factors of successful businesses. During the hiring process, managers look for attitude – Can this person represent my company at the highest level? Over time, attitudes and behaviors can change. Sometimes these changes can be caused by stress, lack of passion, or, in the worst scenario – an employee’s true colors begin to show. When the toxicity becomes too much to bear, how should we best approach the situation?

Assess the mission of your organization. the actions of the employee that you have taken note of and how it is affecting the reputation of the organization, the potential to suffer further from toxic behavior, and how these behaviors are lowering the organization’s Brand.

Industries such as sales, politics, and the military often foster a “win at all costs” mindset, which can lead to competition between teams. However, employees in any industry should exercise self-control to prevent toxic behaviors from harming the team as a whole.

If your organization promotes an altruistic mission, this mentality is more likely to cause a well of tension over time. This is especially true if you claim to represent a group of people, yet you become/are made aware that some employees are ostracizing target audience members who don’t fit their idea of what that group should be – who don’t “fit the bill”. For example, if your organization supports a minority group, but an employee views someone as a “black sheep” of that group, they may make that person feel unwanted.

Some common toxic behaviors in a workplace to watch for include:

Lack of trust.
Gaslighting.
Lack of collaboration.
Bullying.
Emotional manipulation.
Lack of support/growth opportunities.
Taking credit for others’ work/ideas.
Intimidation.
Harassment.
Lack of healthy boundaries.
Slandering Teammates/Potential New Hires.

If you notice any of these behaviors, start by speaking with the employee(s) who is being targeted. Be clear with them about what you have heard and/or observed and get a clearer understanding of how it is affecting them. Then, speak with the other team members individually. This will prevent the perpetrating parties from bonding together to manipulate the narrative further. Follow up consistently to ensure that these harmful actions are not continuing.

Try to avoid only speaking with the perpetrating parties and bystanders, as this can open the door for the continuation of these behaviors. Which can potentially even open the door to more severe consequences, such as legal action.

The commercialization of Deep Technologies has opened the door lesser considered toxic behaviors:

Account hacking.
Creating fake profiles to stalk perceived competition.
Cyber threats to harm employees/target audience who don’t comply with requests or demands.
“Burning” the targeted co-worker to prevent them from being able to work.

Initial identification of any of these behaviors gives leaders an opportunity to discuss the issues and offer ways to avoid continuation. However, if the behaviors persist over time despite being addressed, it is crucial to assess if this is truly who you want representing your organization. If you decide that this is not the right fit, it will be best to let the employee go. This is an opportunity to demonstrate leadership skills with strength with compassion.

Pivotal decisions such as these open the door to truly assist your former employee to find their right career path. Consider their strengths and in which environment they thrive. Offer to help them update their resume. Be willing and eager to write recommendation letters that highlight their strengths. Introduce, or talk them up, to other business leaders/organizations that would better fit their passions and personality. Just because an employee was not the right fit for your organization, does not mean they lack talent or purpose. Wanting to assist this employee on their journey forward, is a strong exhibit of the type of leader you are/want to be.

Do you have comments, questions, ideas, or suggestions? Share with us at: [email protected]

Additional Tools in the Toolbelt: Understanding Laughter

August 9, 2023 by DERGEL Executive Search Leave a Comment

Humans have a “detector” that responds to laughter by triggering other neural circuits in the brain, which, in turn, generates more laughter. This explains why laughter is contagious,” according to Robert Provine’s work [1].

Why Laughing Matters

Laughter is beyond just amusement, it actually bolsters our immune system, allowing us to endure more of life’s discomfort with more strength and ease.

It is even a natural painkiller! The endorphins released during laughter help individuals manage pain and discomfort more effectively.

It even facilitates better breathing as the blood gets more oxygenated during the process.

Laughter acts as a bridge to sociability, making interactions with others smoother and more enjoyable. As communication enhances, there are also more opportunities for empathy to flourish, further deepening relationships.

Business Performance

The stress relief experienced through laughter during personal time can have helpful anxiety reducing effects during work hours.

Because laughter releases tensions, it allows for natural creativity to flow more easily, and for big problems to seem much more solvable with a lighter perspective and more innovative solutions.

Because of its contagious nature, it may spread around a workplace or meeting. This may seem insignificant, but over time, it helps to mold a more desirable place for employment, thereby increasing retention.

Customer and team support enhances, as communication organically improves, allowing for idea contribution and question asking to happen more easily.

Practical Applications

Participating in local improv comedy introductory classes or workshops is an immersive way to overcome barriers and discomfort. These are supportive environment for embracing spontaneity and unleashing creative expression. Inviting an improv comedy expert to lead a workshop within your organization can help mold a more effective workplace atmosphere.

Listen to some comedy before being socially interactive. It does not require very much time to have a significant effect, even 10 minutes will help open up an individual to interact more easily with others, by experiencing laughter beforehand.

The simple act of smiling in front of a mirror is a subtle yet impactful way to cultivate laughter. Even if your initial smile is forced, the mirror acts as a feedback loop, eventually transitioning the effort into genuine amusement. This practice can set a positive tone for your day and interactions.

Find a reason to laugh, even in the face of challenge or struggle. This doesn’t diminish the seriousness of situations; instead, it introduces a fresh perspective that encourages resilience. Even if the situation may not obviously lend itself to laughter, there may be a way to weave it in and lift everyone’s mood.

Some even keep a laughter journal, where they take time to write down events or ideas that happen that bring them laughter. By journaling, one is bringing great significance to the event, reinforcing its impact and future participation.

There is no limit to how you can incorporate this into your daily routine. As you pay attention to your needs & particular taste for comedy, it will become organic for you to invite in states of healthy laughter.

Incorporating laughter into a regular routine can be a deliberate practice that becomes more seamless over time. Especially when one is in a particularly tough spot, allowing oneself to laugh can help recenter to what is most important and unhinge from aspects of secondary importance. As we laugh, we may find that more of our real self is coming through.

It may be easy to perceive laughter as “that pleasant thing that happened” or “something that occurs when things are going well.” However, we can adjust and upgrade our perspective to see that laughter is an incredibly relevant tool in the toolbox. It equips us to tackle life’s challenges with a more upright stature and a centered state of mind.

Embracing Age Diversity: A Necessary ‘Skill’ in the Workforce

August 7, 2023 by Yaffa Blanshay Leave a Comment

The workforce today is more diverse in age than ever before, spanning five generations, and will soon include Gen Alpha, who are still teenagers but on their way. This multi-generational dynamic presents opportunities and challenges for leaders and employees alike. Age diversity in the workforce is not a new topic however, when great candidates emphasize their ability to work effectively with individuals of all ages, it sends a clear message that age diversity is an important topic and a significant consideration for leadership and employees at all levels of the organization.

There has been much discussion about developing age-inclusive workplaces and the many benefits of multi-generational teams. At the organizational level, age is often overlooked as part of an organization’s DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) strategy. However, there is much we can do on an individual level to successfully embrace and leverage age diversity in the workplace. It is crucial to reflect upon and remind ourselves, on an individual level, of the required mindset and skills, which often overlap with those needed for positive work culture and success in any environment.

Recognize that an individual’s position within an organization is a result of their own abilities, knowledge, and contributions. For example, there are numerous accomplished Gen Z CxOs in the workforce who have rightfully earned their leadership roles and achieved success in their positions. Similarly, we also encounter many successful Boomers and Gen Xers across organizations, demonstrating their proficiency and expertise in their respective roles. Embracing age diversity means applying this principle in both directions. Age should not be a decisive factor in assessing someone’s worth or the value they bring to the organization.

Respect colleagues and peers. When respect frames our work ethos, every aspect of our interactions from communication to conflict resolution will be positively affected and contribute to a positive work culture. Provide constructive feedback respectfully. Accept constructive feedback as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Set aside age stereotypes. Age should not be used as a basis for judgment and blame. Success and performance should not be attributed to age but to individual factors. Consider the person and not the age.

Listen and discuss. Everyone has something to learn and something to teach. Age should not prevent us from either. Life-long learning has no age boundaries, and teaching others has no age boundaries either.

Life experience is present at any age and stage. It may differ in duration or content from others but offers a unique and valuable perspective due to these differences and should be acknowledged and appreciated.

Age diversity is a complex issue that requires consideration at both the organizational and individual levels. At the organizational level, seeking guidance from experts and consultants can be beneficial in designing, promoting, and implementing age-diverse policies and practices. Simultaneously, individuals at all levels within the organization must also take a proactive approach by reflecting on their own attitudes and adopting the mindsets and skillsets to actively embrace age diversity. Creating a culture that genuinely embraces age diversity fosters inclusive and productive work environments that harness the collective strengths and experiences of employees across all generations. Embracing age diversity on an individual level is not just a skill but a vital element in cultivating successful and positive work environments.