I have no doubt you care deeply about your employees. 

As a people leader, I’m sure you’ve launched wonderful initiatives in your career to help and develop your employees, including development opportunities for your frontline leaders to improve their productivity, innovation and productiveness…

But before you enrol them into another traditional leadership program, stop and ask yourself, ‘does this program actually shift their behaviour?’

Does it switch their mindset and beliefs? 

Because if it doesn’t, you will not see a change in their behaviour. Instead, it will be money invested to make already busy leaders take 2 or 3 days away from their day jobs, to then return to their desk, their inbox and their old ways. 

Frontline leaders are the conduit between your organisation and your employees – it’s vital they keep everyone connected, empowered and engaged, especially with hybrid working here to stay. 

In a previous article, I highlighted the 3 reasons why you should care about your frontline leaders, and what you can do to help them. 

1. Employees everywhere are leaving, and it could be because of your frontline leaders.
2. Frontline leaders could be the unintentional bottlenecks of workflow in your organisation.
3. Your frontline leaders might be heading for burnout, but you might be the last person to know.

Don’t offer another band-aid solution

Frontline leaders are screaming out for help, so here’s an opportunity for you to offer practical support to be an even better people leader. 

Traditional leadership programs run over several days are completely saturated with leadership theory. The theory is valuable but knowing the theory rarely translates to behavioural change.

The challenge with traditional development programs comes down to the knowing-doing gap.

Understand the knowing-doing gap so you can close it.

Picture this…

You ‘know’ exercise is good for you, but even when we invest in a gym membership, that investment still might not be enough to get us to actually turn up. N.B. Most gyms’ business models are built on the theory most of us are ‘no shows’.

You ‘know’ a healthy diet is good for you and many of us start the new year with great intent, but by the time February rolls around, we typically go back to our old ways!

We ‘know’ what we should do, but we don’t do it. 

And what creates that gap between knowing and doing is our mindset and our beliefs.

Back to the gym example, if you really believe going to the gym is good for you, believe it’s enjoyable, believe it will change how you feel, believe the effort you put in will make a difference, then you will go to the gym, and it will be easy for you to actually exercise.

Development programs that close the knowing-doing gaps elicit real behavioural change.

With your hard-working frontline leaders, you need to switch their beliefs first around the role of leadership, how they should approach their team, how they should see themselves as leaders and the part they play in the organisation. 

ONLY once you’ve switched their mindset and beliefs, will you start to see a real positive change in leaders’ behaviour. 

This is where I come in and offer support through the Leadership Power Switch program. 

Designed specifically to help frontline leaders switch to a leadership mindset, this unique 5-hour program will help them drive better results, manage their team better and be more effective.

To easily fit busy schedules and see immediate results, the learnings are split into bite-sized modules with complementary coaching sessions and practical exercises. I will personally run these sessions, bringing over 20 years of experience as an international leadership and communication coach.

To discuss how we could work together to support your frontline leaders, call me on +61 413 590 074 or email [email protected]

According to Microsoft’s research, “leaders are out of touch with employees and need a wake-up call”. People are exhausted, and those who have struggled the most over the past year are Gen Z, women, frontline workers and new employees. Some are still working from their dining room table!

So, if your frontline leaders are the conduit between your organisation and your employees, it’s vital they keep everyone connected, empowered and engaged: It’s about ensuring new hires are quickly upskilled, experienced team members have development opportunities, and those that are struggling have the right coaching and support. 

Here are 3 reasons why you should care about your frontline leaders, and what you can do to help them:

#1. Employees everywhere are leaving, and it could be because of your frontline leaders.

The latest survey from Employment Hero found that 48% of Australian workers planned to look for a new job in the next six months, and 15% are looking right now!

Putting the research into simple terms, your potential cost of turnover has practically doubled in the past 20 months. Can you afford to lose your employees?

You might be thinking, “well, we have some people that aren’t performing well, it’s OK if they leave…” 

However, these are NOT the people who leave. 

It’s your high performers that leave! They know their talent, they know their worth, and they know they can easily get work elsewhere! And, because they spend so much time working from home, unless their frontline leader successfully engages and connects with them, they will feel disconnected from your organisation, it’s just a job to them.

Gallup’s research is also unequivocal; people leave their boss, not the company. Your frontline leaders are unlikely to leave, they still have a point to prove (that they’ve mastered their leadership role), but it’s the people below them that are at risk. 

So, how are you helping your frontline leaders keep their team engaged, inspired, motivated and connected? 

In your role, you might be putting in place significant employee initiatives and sending out wonderfully worded correspondence about the organisation. However, all of this is in vain if your frontline leaders don’t magnify your messaging. 

With hybrid work here to stay, all leaders need to up their game in engaging with their teams. It’s more challenging when teams work remotely, and this is even harder for relatively new leaders who are still working out what leadership means to them.

#2. Frontline leaders could be the unintentional bottlenecks in your organisation.

Your frontline leaders are pivotal to the success of the business, but they could also be the unintentional bottlenecks in your organisation. They are stuck in the middle, feeling pressure from the top to deliver results and pressure from the bottom to manage and support their teams. 

If your employees feel they are growing as individuals and are being supported, they will be engaged and connected to the organisation. This requires a leader to relinquish their mantle of ‘doing’ or being across everything to being a leader that magnifies the power of the entire team to achieve greater results.

#3. Your frontline leaders might be heading for burnout, but you might be the last person to know.

All of this might sound like I’m blaming our frontline leaders, but that’s not the case at all – I’m flagging they desperately need your help! All the frontline leaders I coached last year care about the organisation they work for; they’re working super long hours (that you probably don’t know about), most are achieving their targets… just… at a high cost (to themselves and the organisation). 

Again, highlighted in Microsoft’s research that ‘high productivity is masking an exhausted workforce’. 

If you’re looking at the latest performance report, targets may have been met, but don’t be fooled into thinking that everything (or everyone) is OK – it’s a system that is potentially at a breaking point.  

WHAT SHOULD I DO ABOUT IT?

The obvious answer here is to give them some leadership strategies.  

 And offering front line leaders development opportunities is brilliant because, over the years, I have seen many organisations provide leadership development only for their senior leaders, leaving their frontline leaders to work it out for themselves.  This doesn’t make sense when you think about the vital roles these frontline leaders play when it comes to the organisations’ productivity, effectiveness and innovation. They need to know how to be brilliant leaders now!

But before you enrol them into a traditional leadership program, stop and ask yourself, does this program actually shift leaders’ behaviour?

Well-intentioned organizations often run traditional leadership programs over several days completely saturated with leadership theory. 

Now don’t get me wrong, the leadership theory is valuable, but knowing the theory doesn’t necessarily count for behavioural change in our leaders. The leaders you put on to these programs have probably read more leadership books than either you or I, they know the theory, but that’s not enough!

The challenge with traditional development programs comes down to the knowing-doing gap.

Let me explain with an example.

We ‘know’ exercise is good for us, and we should be going to the gym at least three times a week, but even when we invest in a gym membership, that investment might still not be enough to get us to actually exercise! (We have lots of excuses ready at hand). 

We ‘know’ a healthy diet is good for us, we set new diet regimes at the start of the year, but by the time February rolls around, we are back in our old ways.

This is exactly what is happening with most of the traditional leadership programs out there, great in theory but not great in practice. It’s all down to what is called the ‘knowing’ – ‘doing’ gap.

We ‘know’ what we should do, but we don’t do it.  And what creates that gap is our mindset and our beliefs.

Back to the gym example, if you really believe going to the gym is good for you, believe it’s enjoyable, believe it will change how you feel, believe the effort you put in will make a difference, you will go to the gym, and it will be easy for you to do so.

With our beautiful, hard-working frontline leaders, you need to switch their beliefs first; around the role of leadership, how they should approach their team, how they should see themselves as leaders and the part they play in the organisation. 

THE ANSWER

ONLY once you’ve switched their mindset and beliefs, will you start to see a real positive change in their behaviour. 

This is where we come in and can help through our Leadership Power Switch program. It’s a unique 5-hour program that shifts mindset, split into bite-sized learnings (to fit easily into busy schedules) with group coaching sessions, practical exercises and valuable content, dedicated solely to changing the mindset of your frontline leaders. 

To find out more, call me on +61 413 590 074 or email [email protected]

To avoid hitting the burnout wall, and instead, discover more time for yourself, practice these 5 Power Steps DAILY.

Power Step 1 – Avoid accumulating stress.
Close off your stress cycle EVERY day. You have to let your body know that you are safe.
Dance, belly laugh, exercise, hug someone gorgeous for at least 20 seconds!

Power Step 2 – Discover more time in the day for you.
Start scheduling your day.

• When to start work?
• When to finish work?
• When to play?
• When to sleep?

Stick to these times as you would with a meeting with someone else.
Your time is precious, savour every second.

Power Step 3 – Cut down your workload and still be seen as successful.
Not everything has to be done today or done by you – delegate, simplify or dump.
Stop being a magnet for everyone else’s to-do list, remember to set boundaries!

Power Step 4 – Reduce the number of problems you own.
It’s time to purchase jewellery, crystals, or any three of a kind to remind you whose problem it is.

• Mine?
• Yours?
• Ours?

And if someone comes to you with a problem, get into the habit of asking for a possible solution first. Remember, you are empowering them to think!

Power Step 5 – Be curious.

Listen out for your ‘should’ statements. What is that word telling you? And if you scored high on perfectionism, seek ways to pull back. Remember, you are enough NOW.

Something exciting is coming!

In coaching women for over 20 years, I’ve identified 6 common themes across the issues that are holding them back from living a more fulfilling life. These are self-worth, stress, time, communication, boundaries and joy (or lack of). And so, I’m working on a 6-Week Program for Women that specifically addresses these issues.

To celebrate the upcoming launch, I’m running a giveaway for a chance to enrol in the program for FREE. Click here to be in the draw!

Well, unless you have been camping in the Gobi Desert, you will no doubt have been psychologically affected by the coronavirus. There is a lot of uncertainty and change in the air which is naturally unsettling and can cause us stress.

The question is, how do we minimise the impact this global situation is having on us?

Well, one way is to increase our ‘perceived’ sense of control over this situation.  The research in this area is fascinating:  If we have a greater ‘perceived’ sense of control over any situation, it lowers our cortisol release, (our stress hormone), and that is good for our health.

Here are my top seven tips to help you get a greater sense of control back in your life:

1. Learn to say ‘no’. This is my number one tip for you to have a greater sense of control in your life. Say ‘no’ to non-priorities and put yourself first.  Saying ‘no’ is liberating and actually frees you up to saying ‘yes’ to the things you really want to do.“Really successful people say no to almost everything” – Warren Buffett
2. Keep a sense of perspective, it’s all relative. When we look at a problem and hyper-focus on it, it can feel overwhelming.  Take a step back, look at things from a different perspective.  Here are my views on the coronavirus, firstly the world is operating on a more united front (about time I’d say), secondly, we have brilliant scientists that are working on a cure as we speak, thirdly we understand this stuff so much better than we did in the past, our communication is quicker, we can get tested quickly, we have access to masks, hand sanitisers and Kleenex toilet paper is made in Australia!
   If you want to keep a sense of perspective limit the amount of news and social feeds you watch.  It’s one thing to stay informed it’s another to overdose on ‘bad’ news. You have control on what you choose to fill your brain with.
3. Keep doing things that are good for you, such as keep exercising, just find other ways, even if you have to exercise at home. I can remember Jane Fonda videos, showing my age I know, but there are stacks of ways you can keep up an exercise regime without leaving your home, how good is that?
4. Write a plan. Consider all the things you are worried about; security of your job, your son’s school closing or your elderly parent getting sick.
   Now, being objective not panicked, write out all the contingencies, think laterally.
   If we look at your job security.  Was the job security? Or did it seem like an anchor weighing you down, day in day out, maybe this is the perfect time to think about setting up your own business, be your own boss.
   Having your son sent home from school well if he is anything like my son was he would be delighted to stay indoors for two weeks it would be gaming, gaming gaming, and as he would have said to me ‘ Mum, you need to chillax’
   Regarding your parents health, maybe you could get your parents set up with skype or zoom so you can regularly chat and see them without visiting and compromising their weaker immune system, set up family zoom meeting.
   Writing a plan gives you a sense of control it helps you be objective.
5. Declutter – decluttering reduces stress, so if you are spending more time indoors get rid of the stuff you have been hanging onto for years, clear out your cupboards and feel calmer in the process and importantly feel a greater sense of control.
6. Keep a gratitude diary with a buddy. I have been keeping a gratitude diary with a friend of mine for months.  Every evening I capture things I’m grateful for that day and send it to my friend and he does the same.  You start off with obvious things, family, cute pets, but because you shouldn’t repeat items you have to start scanning your environment for other things that you are grateful for.  It changes the way you view your world it shows you have control on how you choose to see things.
7. Finally, if you are feeling overwhelmed, admit that firstly to yourself and then ask for help. Asking for help is empowering, not weakness and again demonstrates you have control in your life.

You have control of your life, you have got this x

Something exciting is coming!

In coaching women for over 20 years, I’ve identified 6 common themes across the issues that are holding them back from living a more fulfilling life. These are self-worth, stress, time, communication, boundaries and joy (or lack of). And so, I’m working on a 6-Week Program for Women that specifically addresses these issues.

To celebrate the upcoming launch, I’m running a giveaway for a chance to enrol in the program for FREE. Click here to be in the draw!

I was out and about on Saturday wandering along a row of shops waiting for a girlfriend who was running late, and I am always early. 

I walked past a man with a clipboard raising money for UNHCR a refugee agency. I’m embarrassed to say my first judgement from afar was this was a scam when I got closer his warmth of greeting made me feel bad with my initial negative assessment. 

He asked if I was interested in finding out more about UNHCR, I said I had numerous direct debits to various charities already in place and rattled off the ones I could recall, I was ready to move on… 

He then gave me the best smile and said how delighted he was to meet someone like me who had so much compassion, brilliant way of handling my objection I thought, he seemed so lovely and flattery does work in my world and now I’m feeling even worse about my ‘scam’ theory. 

OK, I said, tell me about UNHCR, he started to rattle off depressing facts about the plight of refugees, showed me some horrible photos of the camps, I was fascinated by my thoughts, I was numb, are we too overloaded with these images and facts? We have seen them on the news for years… out of the corner of my eyes, I caught a glimpse of a nearby fancy shoe shop I was appalled, ‘How could I go from starving families to strappy heels? 

Then everything changed… 

He said ‘I was a refugee for 5 years in Ethiopia, I stayed in a camp like this, I had no idea when I would be able to leave, I feared for my life as I watched children die around me through malnutrition…’ 

Now it was his personal story that got me hooked, it was terribly moving, I felt his pain and his fear and now I understood why he was standing on the hot pavement trying to sign up people to the cause UNHCR, this organisation had not just transformed his life but given him his life back. 

We chatted about his ‘sales pitch’ I suggested he start with his story. 

On the way home I reflected on the power of sharing something of ourselves in the material we present,  I feel so often we hide this connection and it leave us wondering why are you talking about this topic? 

This was highlighted last month when I was working with a group of forensic accountants, helping them create more compelling presentations which they absolutely did! During the training, I asked one woman, Sarah, why she did her job? Her answer was she had always loved puzzles, loved the challenge, right from when she was a child, when everyone in the family had given up Sarah would take over the mission to solve the puzzle and now as far as Sarah is concerned being a forensic accountant is like being paid to do her hobby. When you hear her passion for her work, you instantly believe she must be good at it and if I wanted someone to look for evidence of fraud in my company books she would be absolutely my first pick. 

Help us understand why you are presenting the material and we will be more likely to buy your ideas. 

#unhcr #fundraising #traceyward #mojomakeover

When I left university my first career role was selling advertising space in computer magazines, admittedly not the sexiest role I have ever had.

The thing is, despite cold calling, over the phone, day in day out, we laughed daily.

And, I loved going to work.  Even on those cold wintery English days trudging up the London Underground escalator with the 1000’s of other commuters, I had a smile on my face anticipating the laughter that would ensue that day.

One particular day our ‘fun’ was a competition to get the word ‘hedgehog’ into our sales pitch, no easy feat given we are selling advertising space in computer magazines.  I managed it three times, yes three times, one of those achievements I’m really proud that no-one else gets, I laughed so much I nearly wet my knickers, you know, that fabulous belly laugh that you can feel the next day.

We were encouraged to have fun, and we had fun and laughed.  The fun and laughter was a brilliant tonic that kept us resilient against what most would admin the tough role of cold calling.

We talk so much about resilience at work, mental health at work, stress at work and yet I don’t hear people talking about laughter and fun.

I say it’s time to laugh more at work, bring back the hedgehogs!

With just about every woman I coach who works in business I find myself having the same conversations and one in particular is around the ‘game of business’

Men get it they know ‘the game’ most women have no idea there was a game in place, let alone the rules of ‘the game’ it’s like watching women play monopoly being blissfully unaware they should buy properties instead they merrily hop around the monopoly board giving everyone else money until they run out of money and they are out of the game, then they realised they have been played.

Let me enlighten you…

The game of business

• You are responsible for your career path, no-one else cares.
• Just working hard will NOT get you promoted.
• You need to manage the perception you are great at your job, with the people that matter, as no one else will.
• If you come up with a great idea, own it, take the credit for it, and let everyone else know how great it is.
• If you want promotion, pay rise, ask for it!
• If organisational decisions are made on the golf course, play golf, or at least go for a walk with a club in hand.
• You can push back, doing the workload of two people isn’t cool, it’s exhausting.
• You don’t have to do everything today, really you don’t.
• If your instincts tell you your boss is dodgy, self-centred, egotistical, narcissistic or a psychopath, you are probably right which means, they need you to make them look good and won’t invest any time making you look good. It’s time to find a new boss in your existing company or a new company.

I have two dogs, a standard poodle and a toy poodle, “Mango” and “Smoothie” don’t ask me about their names… that’s a story for another day and nor are they my password.

The point is the little one “Smoothie” is an identical but ‘shrunken’ version of the big one “Mango” they are a very cute combination.  Whenever you walk these dogs someone will stop you for a chat, initially about the dogs.  The conversations are beautiful, always uplifting and always put a smile on my face.

These spontaneous conversations make me feel connected to humankind, so refreshing when technology although meant to connect us seems to isolate us more instead.

It got me thinking, we could all do with a ‘dog’ icebreaker to help us feel more connected.

Now, I know not everyone is into dogs so hear me out…

I remember an old friend of my mothers’ use to make her own hats.  As a young teenager I thought these hats were … well, to be polite, these hats were pretty ‘out there’ I thought she was quite mad, but thinking about it now, these hats were more than a hat, they were a connector for her in society.  Mum and I often saw her in the street chatting away to one person or another and these conversations always seem to start over her hats.

Feeling connected in this world is vital for our good mental health, maybe it’s time to think about what your ‘dog/hat’ icebreaker could be and start savouring these fabulous spontaneous conversations.

In workshops I love using my Conversation Style Game, M.O.D.E.  We all have different conversation styles: Minders, Organisers, Directors and Enthusiasts and in my workshops, in between the laughter, there are so many comments; ‘that explains so much!’, ‘Now I get you!’ as everyone starts to understand the different conversation styles at play, it’s Emotional Intelligence at work and it’s wonderful to see.

I created M.O.D.E. after my experience working with a boss called Trevor.  Now Trevor like me was also originally from the North of England and when we were in the pub together, outside of work, we got on like a house on fire.  Working together less so…

Over a weekend I would come up with a new idea, (I’m an Enthusiast, Director, I like new stuff and think quickly). First thing Monday morning I would rush into Trevor’s office arms waving saying something along the lines of…

“Trevor, I have this fabulous idea for a new marketing initiative!!!” There was no plan, no numbers, just lots of arm waving and energy.

At 8.30 am Monday morning this was Trevor’s response.

“Tracey, I have not had my coffee or planned my day, go away”

It wasn’t a great working relationship. 

A couple of months later Trevor and I attended a program around behavioural styles it was then I realised we were the complete opposites of each other, (Trevor, is an Organiser, Minder, he’s is measured and likes time to think).  

All I had to do was make some small changes in the way I spoke to Trevor for my ideas to be heard and this is what I did.

Firstly, I went in after 10 am that way he had time for planning and a coffee.

Secondly, I approached Trevor in his communication style which is calmer and without arm waving.

Thirdly, I gave Trevor time to think, I put some numbers on a one-page document, (I’m unlikely to ever go beyond one page) and left it with him to think about.

IT WAS LIKE MAGIC!  

Every time I approach Trevor in this way, I got my ideas across, Emotional Intelligence works!

It turned out once Trevor and I understood and appreciated our differences we become a really powerful team. 

In our relationships, we have communication habits or patterns. We might finish off a partner’s sentence, or have certain topics that are no go areas, some of these communication patterns are cute and endearing, and some are unhealthy. Most are unwritten and unspoken about and they happen over and over again.

(It is especially noticeable when you catch up with a sibling you haven’t seen for a while, those childhood communication patterns come flooding back. I observed this with a friend of mine and his older sister who lives overseas, the moment they met they went into this prodding, tickling encounter, as an only child I thought this weird especially since they were in their 40’s, but that’s a communication pattern for you).

In my marriage, there became an obvious communication pattern.

If ever I wanted to give my husband feedback, this is what would happen:

I give husband feedback……. he counters by giving me feedback….. I apologise.

I realised he wasn’t taking any of my feedback on board and instead, he used attack as best form of defence and I was becoming way too subservient as a result, not healthy.

We chatted about this, and I expressed my frustration, and to his credit, he recognised the pattern we had fallen into.

As a result, we introduced, and both agreed to implementing, the ’24 hour rule’.

It’s very simple, the rule is, if we want to give our partner feedback, we preface it with;

‘this a ’24 hour rule’ conversation’

Which means for 24 hours, our partner cannot come back with feedback for us.

Let me tell you this rule works it forces the other person to think about the feedback they have received, of course, we all want positive feedback. Still, sometimes our nearest and dearest can have valuable things to say that can help us grow as a person, and we need to put ourselves in a position to hear that valuable feedback properly.