Blog - DGI Comm

How Successful Leaders Listen

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(DGIwire) — When it comes to being a good leader, effectively communicating your ideas, vision and knowledge undoubtedly contribute to your success. You need to be heard. But there are some times when you just need to listen. More often than not, people undervalue the art of listening. Being an effective listener can help you solve many problems and may even help prevent them in the first place.

Listening allows you to see things from another person’s perspective, one you may never have had access to. Once you’ve gained that perspective it can help you to develop empathy and understanding. While you may not always agree with that person’s perspective, knowing it lets you assess the “big picture” and can help your business move forward as a team.

Dian Griesel, PhD, a recognized crisis expert, offers the following suggestions to improve communication through better listening skills.

1. Be attentive. Keeping eye contact with the person lets them know that you are engaged in the conversation. Let them know that what they are saying is important to you.

2. Don’t rush it! Instead, focus on asking questions that bring value to the conversation. Take any extra time that might be needed for the person to express what is on his or her mind.

3. Free your mind. Don’t start the conversation with a pre-conceived opinion or outcome. Be open to what the person is saying and how it might relate to you as both a leader and an individual.

4. Watch that body! Pay attention to your body language. Look attentive and “present.” You don’t want to make the person feel like you have anywhere else that you’d rather be.

5. Two Way Street. Body language goes both ways. Read what their body is saying and respond accordingly. By reacting to what you see, you can facilitate the flow of conversation. An understanding nod or smile can do wonders to put the person at ease.

6. Acknowledge. You might not agree with the message but something as simple as, “I hear you.” or “I understand” can make a world of difference. Let them know their viewpoint was heard.

7. Exercise humility. Be willing to be wrong. Show them that you really took to heart what you heard and that you will take the time to reflect on the conversation as it pertains to the betterment of the company.

Are Great Leaders Born or Made? The Answer is…Both!

leaders born sm (DGIwire) – If only life were like the movies. Everyone is a Vice President or CEO or “in-charge” of someone or something. Every problem magically works itself out in record time and the hero(ine) gets a promotion by the time the final credits are rolling. Think Working Girl circa 1988. The movie ends with the camera panning out to Tess McGill, former secretarial temp, in her new office overlooking Manhattan. In real life, it’s not that easy.

Many people are drawn toward leadership but once they get there (or close) they realize it can be much harder than it looks. Maybe your peers or staff aren’t exactly supportive of your goals. Maybe you’re not yet ready for the big leagues. Maybe your interpersonal skills aren’t quite developed. Maybe you just weren’t cut out for leadership in the first place! (Ha!)

When in Doubt Choose C? Whatever the situation, there are three paths you can take when you are in a leadership position and things start to get challenging; You can a) quit b) smile and pretend that nothing bad is happening or c) you can listen, learn, assess, redirect and move yourself and your team forward to even greater heights. When in doubt, choose “C.” But more likely, if you chose “C” it’s your inner leader talking control.

Born This Way? Not so fast! Being a leader does not come naturally for everyone. For some it is an evolutionary process that occurs on a daily basis. While the “big decisions” may not come instinctually for all, learning and applying that knowledge can be just as valuable. The most successful leaders are good learners.

Easy as 1, 2, 3, 4! Here are the four most important tools a leader needs to be successful.

1. Knowledge. Know your field. People are entrusting you to provide them with a service that they need. It’s your responsibility to know your trade or field almost like you know your own hand. “I’ve been in corporate communications and marketing for over 30 years. Nobody learns the rules and regulations overnight, particularly when it comes to properly advising a publicly traded client. Communications is an evolving field that can be very tricky to navigate.” says Dian Griesel, Ph.D., a communications & crisis management expert and President of Manhattan-based, DGI.

2. Communication. A good leader recognizes that communication isn’t just about what is imparted but perhaps more importantly, how it’s imparted. Effective communicators engage their subjects, allowing them to hear the message while feeling like an important part of a dialogue. Employees should feel comfortable asking questions or requesting clarification.

3. Listen. Good ideas and improvements can come from many different perspectives. Employees and clients can provide you with direction toward improvement. “I often call clients to request feedback: Just asking a simple, ‘What could we be doing better?'” Griesel continues. “We’re always willing to listen to suggestions. It’s good business to always seek ways to improve.”

4. Flexibility. You’ve heard the old adage about the best-laid plans. Well, a companion to that expression should be, “The wind does not break a tree that can bend.” A leader’s true character can shine in the face of adversity. How you handle the unexpected says much about you and your ability to lead.

Leadership Lessons: Inspiring Teamwork

teamwork sm No man is an island. This simple sentence is very true for leaders seeking to grow business. You may think you can do it all but the fact of the matter is, if you want to grow your business to it’s fullest potential, you’ll need help. Leadership lessons that inspire teamwork must get on the agenda.

Sometimes that can be difficult. Entrusting others to execute your vision can be overwhelming. At first. With these simple steps, you can begin to transform your company into the cohesive team you need it to be.

Dian Griesel, Ph.D., an oft-recruited communications and crisis management expert offers these tips for establishing a more cohesive, happy and high performance team.

Establish Goals. The first thing you need when you plan any trip is the destination. Where are you going? This step may take time to develop, but everyone should be included. The goal can’t be “to make lots of money” yet it can be as simple as “become the best in my field”.

Make a Roadmap. Outline how you are going to establish your goals. By including your entire team in this process, you will gain valuable insight to different ideas and perspectives. Decide how you are going to get there together. Assign tasks to each team member. Do so in a way that best utilizes each person’s talents. Talk to everyone and see how they feel they could best contribute.

Accountability. Each team member needs to pull their share of the workload. Nothing breaks down a team faster than when one, or a few, do the lion’s share of the work. If someone isn’t pulling their weight or following through with their responsibilities, it needs to be addressed immediately. Remember that a chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link. Everyone on the team needs to be 100% on board. When necessary, corporate restructuring can be a useful tool to bring balance and structure to your mission.

Praise Often. Reward employees generously. This doesn’t necessarily mean monetarily. Praising a person for a job well done can make all the difference in a person’s attitude. Something as simple as “I noticed.” People need to be recognized for their efforts. They need to feel like a valuable part of the team.

Foster Harmony. Teams are like families. In every family there will be some amount of conflict. Your job as the team leader is to minimize the strife by quickly and fairly solving the problem. Listen to all sides and respect each position. Your job is to get everyone back on track.

Encourage dialogue. Every team member’s voice is important. To be successful, everyone needs to feel comfortable to give voice to ideas, opinions, observations and even complaints. Listening now can prevent many problems later. If possible, try to meet with employees one-on-one on a monthly basis. Give them a safe place to express their ideas (or problems). Weekly staff meetings are also an effective way to encourage dialogue.

Why Leaders Must Take Risks

Take Risks sm (DGIwire) — Life as we know it would be pretty boring if it weren’t for the risk takers.

Humans wouldn’t have discovered how to fly if certain brave men and women didn’t risk everything venturing into the heavens. We wouldn’t watch those World Cup, Olympic athletes and X-Games contestants who awe us with their feats. Music wouldn’t have evolved through a wide variety of genres if certain singers, drummers, guitarists and other musicians didn’t challenge the status quo and push for new edges of expression. Our lives would not be full of gadgets if Steve Jobs and others hadn’t dared to test the limits of their imaginations on technological advancement. Let’s face it: The world is largely a better place in part because of the adventurous leaders who dared to take risks.

The best leaders are calculated risk takers, according to Dian Griesel, Ph.D. She should know: an entrepreneur herself, she is regularly hired by public company CEOs to help guide their communication messaging regarding decisions that might be interpreted by some as risky. Griesel explains, “In a world that revolves around 24-7 news that is being disseminated to audiences around the world in seconds, a certain amount of risk-taking is inevitable for success. Action following a prudent assessment of the pros and cons of any situation or opportunity is essential. Effective leaders can’t be afraid to take the risk and act—or someone else will and that calculated risk taker will end up controlling the message and dominating the desired markets.”

To get comfortable with taking risks, Griesel suggests breaking the assessment process down to three factors: Innovation, Knowledge and Change. Here is an elaboration of each. Innovation: A good leader is someone who isn’t afraid to venture into the unknown. No matter how much time you have devoted in planning an activity or an event, there will always be glitches and problems. Accept this as a fact. Consequently, a leader must be flexible, while also being ready to continually innovate and explore new ideas with co-workers and others. The willingness to take calculated risks ensures the fruition of a company’s objectives and helps support the common livelihood. There wouldn’t be medical and technological advancements if the people behind the many remarkable successes were averse to risks.

Knowledge: Since the beginning of time, man has learned to conquer his surroundings through trial and error. The human race is largely defined by our desires, our curiosity and our insatiable urge to discover new things. We must accept that it is nearly impossible to gain knowledge if unwilling to take risks. It is the bold leaders we admire: Those who took it upon themselves to take the risks to innovate.

Change: The only permanent thing is change. A leader who accepts this concept is someone who knows how to take risks and step outside of his or her comfort zone. Many companies, businesses and even empires have fallen or gone bankrupt because their leaders became comfortable with the status quo. In contrast, companies and even countries that have been led by people who didn’t cringe when asked to take on risk have adapted to changing times and continually maintained their top positions.

In order to become an extraordinary leader and leave your mark on your organization or group, it might be time to increase your number of calculated risks.

Five Simple Ways to Host a Bad Meeting

(DGIwire) Why would anyone want to host a bad meeting? We’re actually not sure why you wanted to read this story. Good thing you did though because the actual topic of this article is “Five Simple Steps to the Perfect Meeting”.

We did this to prove a point. You opened this article thinking that you would read about one thing, but the topic was different. Annoying, right? Unfortunately, this also happens with up to 50% of the meetings you attend. You go into a sales meeting with your copy of the agenda. One person asks an off-topic question and somehow you end up spending an hour talking about something totally different and equally irrelevant. You leave the meeting without clarity or direction and you’ve also just wasted an hour of your life that you’ll never get back.

To forever eliminate the dreaded “bad meeting,” Dian Griesel, Ph.D., president of DGI, narrowed down the five most important things needed to ensure a successful meeting.

1. Prepare, prepare, prepare! Then prepare some more. The better prepared you are, the more successful the meeting will be. Have an agenda of topics or talking points. Anticipate any questions and have the answers. Or if the meeting was held to resolve a specific issue, have all the right questions. Research any relevant topics that you feel could facilitate the meeting. It takes time and energy to prepare for any successful meeting. Good meetings don’t just happen.

2. Bring it to the table. Items as simple as pens, paper, coffee and water. Make sure that you have available what people will need in order for it to be a productive meeting for them. Having it all there at the table for them at the beginning of the meeting will limit interruptions throughout.

3. Move it! A facilitator, as defined by Merriam Webster, is “one that helps to bring about an outcome by providing indirect or unobtrusive assistance, guidance or supervision.” Every successful meeting needs an effective facilitator. This person guides, redirects, pushes, pulls, diverts, shifts and sways as needed to keep the meeting moving forward in a productive manner. The Facilitator might have to gently bruise some egos to accomplish this but that’s okay because he’s not there to make friends. He’s there to get a job done.

4. Time is on your side. Set a time limit. Then stick to it! Everyone’s time is important. After you’ve prepared your agenda, you’ll have a pretty good idea how much time you’ll need. Knowing you have a limited amount of time will help you stay on task and focused. Also important is scheduling the meeting for the best time. Ideally, best time to hold a meeting wouldn’t be right before an anticipated rush.

5. Promptly record and distribute minutes. There’s nothing worse than thinking you had a great meeting, only to have five people with five different variations of what transpired. Not only will having minutes help to clarify events but it will hold responsible parties accountable for follow-through actions as determined during the meeting.