Is Team Building Possible In Today's World?

When it comes to team building, most teammates are not excited about the idea of doing team-building exercises. You might see a few of them rolling their eyes or slipping off at the nearest exit. 

There are team-building activities that your people will enjoy. They don’t have to be long, all-day events. They might even just take minutes to complete. The goal of a team-building activity is to improve communication and improve collaboration skills.

Generally, there are inside and outside team-building types of activities. Each of these types has a very different feel to them. Inside activities are normally done in a conference room or break room and tend to lean in a more serious direction. Outdoor activities are done at company events or retreats. 

Anyone can go to Google today and type in “team building activities”. I recommend you pick the ones your team will resonate with and want to participate in. Feeling uncomfortable is part of the process of bonding and creating lasting change. 

The importance of team building is that a team who encourages personal growth also has better job satisfaction, and reduced stress. People are more likely to take calculated risks that lead to innovation if they know they have a support team behind them.

Science agrees. Research shows that all collaborative problem-solving leads to better outcomes.

With the rise of remote and hybrid work, many leaders thought this would be the downfall of teamwork in the workplace. Nothing could be further from the truth. Teamwork is more important than ever before.

Your team will be better problem solvers, the team might stumble across an innovative idea, and the team will get along more which is a growth-promoting scenario. The team might even learn new concepts from colleagues with different experiences. 

Working together helps everyone win.

Best, 

Manal

Business Growth Amidst Crisis

If you have any affiliation with any small business non-profit right now, you are most likely looking for input on how to continue to grow your business amidst a crisis with uncertainty. 

What we do now during a crisis will ultimately determine our fate. First things first, decide. Decide if you want to come to the other side of things better or if you will be the person who waits for things to be better. 

You have a choice. You can ask “Why is life happening to me” or you can ask “Given that I am here, what do I want to create?” This decision alone moves you from the position of a victim into the role of hero/heroine of your story. Ask yourself, “Where can we add value, in what ways, that others need, right now?” If you are not sure, ask your clients what they need. Then, create best practices around those needs. Those with best practices will be market leaders and will have ample opportunities to create value.

Today’s moments are inviting each of us to renewed and empowered leadership. There is no one coming to save us. Ask yourself who you need to be to ensure you and your organization come out better on the other side.  

Businesses have been impacted globally by supply chain management, rising costs, access to education, and the shortage of workers. What I know is this, what’s happening will allow us to create something better, more inclusive, and more valuable. 

Be the builder of opportunities, ideas, and resources with others. What we do individually and together is truly shaping the world we live in. 

Here is to the best future!

Best, 

Manal

What Advice Would You Give Your Younger Self?

If you were to ask your favorite leaders what advice they would give a younger version of themselves, they would surely have some common things to share. 

I have documented a few conversations I would like to share: 

Be an amazing in-person communicator. Most great leaders have a tight schedule. They meet with their key people on a regular, recurring basis. This is the best way to proactively facilitate communication and time-sensitive information. 

Be present with your team. If you use smartphones in meetings, research suggests your peers probably think you are being rude or unprofessional.  

Be value-driven. Instead of rules, have standards or guardrails that are rooted in values. Use these standards as topics of discussion. And when someone deviates from the values--the standards--well that’s a time for some feedback, that’s a coachable moment. 

Be likable, not liked. Are you a people pleaser? It’s normal to want to be liked, but it’s a problem if you need to be liked. It can lead to delayed decision-making in the hopeless quest to get universal agreement. Replace your need to be liked, with a need to lead right.

Lead with love. The kind of love that is the warmth, connection, and caring we feel for humankind--absent the passionate kind of love. Leaders who care about their team members and show it achieve high employee engagement and business outcomes.  

Become obsessed with minutes. Great leaders know that every minute wasted or freely given away is another minute that can’t be spent coaching their team or getting results. For best results, throw out your to-do list, and schedule everything. Identify your daily most important task and schedule it first thing in the morning. Pre-schedule time to lead; schedule your recurring weekly one-on-one, and your twice a year career path meetings. What about downtime? What about time to think? Yes, schedule that too. Schedule everything.

What would you say to your younger self? I’d love to hear.

Best, 

Manal

Setting a Wellness Example

When it comes to leadership, setting an example is a key objective. 

Taking care of yourself in a COVID world is essential for today’s leaders. Caring for yourself is not only important mentally but also physically. 

Mental Wellness

If you were to describe today’s leaders, they would be mentally strong as well as physically capable. 

Leaders today must have an open mind, a good intuition, and a sense of well-being about themselves. They may run into varying opinions, perspectives, and outlooks. Mental wellness is as much about caring, showing empathy, and compassion as it is anything. To create a culture that your team wants to work in, everyone must at least have the ability to be heard, contribute and give their two cents. 

This means today’s leader must be able to showcase a variety of skills regarding prevention, coping with life’s adversities, and being resilient in the face of stress, worry, loneliness, and a wide range of emotions including anger and sadness.  

Physical Wellness

Not only should today’s leader be mentally sharp but also physically ready. Working out or staying in good health should be at the top of their priority list. Wellness combines all facets of wellness - rest, sleep, self-care, visiting their medical team or alternate practitioners, nutrition, and supplementation. A leader who is run down, sick, and in poor health will not be able to effectively lead in today’s ever-changing environment. 

So how does today’s leader set the example for things that they may be doing on their time? Perhaps they exercise before/after work, supplement or do food prep at home, or handle all their visits to the doctor, dentist, chiropractor, etc around work hours.

They set the example by talking to their team about great wellness care so that they can show up and perform at their best while at work. It might come up if someone is missing a lot of work. The leader can ask about that teammate's wellness plan and encourage them to do things that may be missing. 

Today’s leader leads both mentally and physically. Perhaps you are the leader - encourage a healthy lifestyle and lead the way through your interactions with your team. 

Best, 

Manal

Mindset is Key for a Leader

Especially in the midst of a global pandemic and an international escalation. Leadership is about posture, grace, and setting the tone for the whole. 

Leaders today can set the tone of panic or peace within their environment by their actions, words, and mindset. Even if no global things were happening this prior statement is still true. 

Let’s look at this in another way. Let’s say you are the General Manager of your organization and you get news that could be either a good thing or a bad thing but you are not sure yet. 

You could call a meeting and start to panic, fear, and worry about your key leaders and they would do the same for their team members and thus the ball of angst is in motion. The staff starts rewriting their resumes just in case, your leaders call the local headhunter and ask what else is in the marketplace right now. You stress out making your blood pressure rise, your tone and words are sharper and your family gets less of you because you are emotionally tied up. Your social media becomes sharper in tone or stops altogether. You expect your team to do long hours and put in more work to impress senior management or the board. Everyone is stressed.

OR 

You could call an all-member meeting and be calm in your delivery of what could or couldn’t be the case. You ask your team’s opinion. You reassure them that things are going to be alright and you are in this together. You and your team attend a local art project, or meditation session or hang out outside of work like you normally do. You maintain your regular hours. You encourage everyone to do good self-care. Your social media efforts are valuable and make your customers/clients feel appreciated. You launch a community care project to pull the team together. These are great things to do during times that could go either way. 

I know for me, I’d rather be in the second scenario but so many times in life, when there is angst, unknown, or uncertainty, the first of the two scenarios is what happens. Retraction is normal, it is a human reaction to keeping ourselves safe. It is what your brain knows. 

Being mindful and having a positive mindset are things most leaders can and should work on. Your reactions to “news”, changes, or the unknown will flow more gracefully when you are mindful of how you are feeling, reacting, and being. 

Remember, people follow amazing leaders for who they are being rather than for their long list of accomplishments. You get to set the tone, pace, message, and morale of your team. 

Lead in love. 

Best, 

Manal

(This article was first published in the Locala Magazine)

As a Leader, Do You Have This?

 As a leader do you have a spring in your step? 

You have seen that leader in your life that is always “on”. They seem to be naturally happy, positive, and optimistic. I have heard people say you can not be negative and positive at the same time. In this pubmed.gov study, the medical professionals say that happiness and sadness are mutually exclusive feelings but their findings have shown that we can have mixed co-emotions at the same time for brief periods. 

So when it comes to that happy leader, how does he/she say they are optimistic? In my opinion, they choose this. Anyone can shift their perspective at any time. 

Some of the skills I have learned about resetting my choice points are as follows:

One of the core leadership lessons I have learned is to lean into the energy that flows over the energy that feels forced. When you do this, things just seem to flow. It is as if you own the belief that Tony Robbins says, “Life is working for you”.

Maintain a good balance of awareness in your life. When I am in flow energy, I am usually taking good care of myself, ask for what I need, and communicate clearly. My first question to myself when things are not working is, “How is my self-care?”. It is a true reflection of keeping my own life in balance. 

Always be growing. The leaders that maintain this natural positivity are invested in personal growth work. That might look like webinars, seminars, events, books, and coaching. When you are growing, you have certain ownership in life.  

The next time you see that happy leader, ask them their secret of positivity and optimism. Tell them you want to learn to be more like that in your own life. They will be flattered and happy to help you own this too. You may help them realize the power they hold. They may do it so regularly that they forget to see the benefit of a good choice every day. The ripple effect of this awareness is going to bless everyone that knows this leader. 

Wishing you a spring in your step too. 

Best, 

Manal

(This article was first published in the Locala Magazine)

When the Season's Change

Seasons Change not only in the weather but often in life. 

You’ve probably heard the expression “born leader.” The phrase implies that the qualities that make a good leader are innate—you’re either born with the skills it takes to be a leader, or you’re not. And certain traits indeed tend to be innate—such as charisma, humility, and a sense of humor.  

No matter if you are a born or a leader who learned how to lead, today’s leader is open, willing, and must be able to withstand change as the one thing is true, nothing is staying the same in today’s business environment.

You do not need to supervise or be a manager to cultivate leadership skills. You can develop these skills on the job in the following ways: 

Take initiative: Look beyond the tasks in your job description. Think long-term about what would be beneficial for your department and the company. Try to brainstorm ideas and commit to doing work that goes beyond the daily routine. 

Request more responsibility: While you wouldn't want to ask for additional responsibility in your second week on the job, once you've been in a position long enough to become an expert, you can share with your manager that you're eager to grow your leadership abilities. Ask how you can help out—are there upcoming projects that require a point person? Is there any work that you can take off of your manager's to-do list? 

Target specific skills: If you have a specific skill that you want to develop - whether it's creative thinking or communication - create a plan to improve your abilities in this area. This could mean taking a class, finding a mentor to help, reading books, or setting a small goal that forces you to develop this skill. Talk to managers and co-workers, as well as friends outside of the office, to help develop your plan to improve.

 

When you have initiative, seek out how to benefit the organization or you are working towards a set goal - you are sure to be noticed amongst the crowd.

Best, 

Manal