Workplace growth expert Cheryl Cran’s newsletter for leaders and business owners

Last month we announced new video, well visit the site again in a week or so to see the re-vamped video as well as an added video segment on generations in the workplace.

Question from a subscriber:
Cheryl in your Bold Leader keynote you talked about the need to be a truthful leader. What if you try to get the truth out of a situation but the person will not admit the truth. For example I had a client who I knew was not entirely happy with the progress of our work together and I heard from another peer in the industry that this person was not happy with me. I tried to get her to come clean with me without letting her know that I had heard of her complaints about me. Help! – Wants the truth

Cheryl’s Answer:
Yes I talk about today’s leaders needing to have the courage to dig deep for the truth in all of their interactions. Truthful connection is the cornerstone of authenticity and it creates better relationships. In your example you touched upon a key piece in that you said you knew the client wasn’t happy. It is at the time of our ‘sensing’ something isn’t right that it is best to address it. A good approach would be to say, “Jill we have been working together for a few months now and I wanted to debrief our progress. How are you feeling about what we’ve accomplished?” If Jill is a strong communicator she will state her concerns assertively and then you have something to deal with and you can move the situation forward. If Jill instead responded with, “Fine everything is fine” then you would need to probe a little more and gently with, “Gee Jill I am just not convinced that you are thrilled- let’s review the mandates of the project and see what is working really well and what we can improve on.” This prevents Jill from getting defensive or feeling cornered by our quest for the truth. If in the end Jill still doesn’t come clean then you need to ensure you continue to communicate the project agreement checkpoints and review them again at the end of the project. Some people are truly uncomfortable with confrontation of any kind and in your case it could be this person is highly passive and cannot speak her mind.

“Control your destiny or somebody else will”

March’s Article 2007- Spring Is a Great Time to Spring Clean

We moved our clocks forward last weekend, how many of you are still feeling a little wonky from the time adjustment? I know for me it has given me more energy because I am a creature of the light! Give me more light in the day and I have got the goods to get more done and to feel more energized.

With this light and longer day comes the opportunity to look at what is serving us really well in our work and in our lives. It is also an opportunity to look at letting go of behaviors that no longer serve us.

I have a dear friend (we have been friends since high school) she is a phenomenal person and is one of the most inspiring people I know. Sue was diagnosed last spring with cancer and it rocked her world. Sue was relatively healthy and having this diagnosis was very difficult for her to deal with. However in true Sue fashion she responded with bravery and action. She took a long hard look at her life, her choices and her behaviors and she recognized there were some things she needed to let go of.

The other day Sue and I were catching up by phone and she was feeling a little down. It has been six months since she has been declared cancer free and she was feeling a little down. I think we can all relate to getting to a point in our lives where we have made huge shifts in our choices and behaviors and yet it seems as if the outer world is not responding as quickly as we would like to our changes.

I reminded Sue that she had made tremendous progress in her behaviors and now she just needed to give those around her and the universe time to catch up with her changes. When I recounted the new found commitment Sue had to her health, the healthy choices she had been making and her setting of newly established boundaries she was reminded of the massive steps she had taken towards greater well-being.

The world just doesn’t respond to our requests as quickly as we would like.

You have heard the joke that goes like this: How do you make God laugh? Tell him your plans.

The point is that in order to create new and bold changes in our lives we need to let go of the old and tired behaviors that no longer support the new self we are proclaiming to be.

Some examples of old behaviors may be:

It’s time for some spring cleaning and to spring forward with renewed energy, excitement and focus. Happy Spring!

Cheryl Cran, CSP www.cherylcran.com

Check out the Bold Leader Blog:

http://www.cherylcran.com/bold_leader/index.php

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Reprinted with permission from Cheryl Cran's monthly e-newsletter www.cherylcran.com. Cheryl Cran, CSP is an author, international speaker and and consultant.