Gen Z employees are digital natives, value-driven, and quick to question “how things have always been done.” For mid-level and senior managers, the challenge is twofold: how to integrate Gen Z into today’s teams and how to prepare them as tomorrow’s leaders. Ignoring this shift risks disengagement, culture clashes, and missed opportunities.

Why Generational Shifts Matter

Different generations bring unique expectations around work. Baby Boomers often emphasize loyalty and hierarchy. Gen X tends to value independence. Millennials expect flexibility and development. Gen Z raises the bar further, seeking purpose, inclusion, and rapid growth.

Managers who dismiss these shifts risk creating friction. Those who embrace them build stronger, more adaptive cultures.

Key Expectations of Gen Z

1. Purpose Over Paycheck
Compensation matters, but Gen Z wants work that aligns with their values. They want to know how their efforts contribute to the bigger picture.

2. Digital Fluency
Gen Z grew up online. They expect seamless tech tools, quick communication, and transparency. Outdated systems and slow processes can feel like barriers.

3. Development and Feedback
Gen Z values real-time coaching over annual reviews. They want clear paths for growth and feedback they can act on immediately.

4. Inclusion and Belonging
This generation wants to feel welcome, respected, and part of a team that reflects shared values.

5. Work-Life Integration
Gen Z doesn’t separate “work” and “life” as neatly as prior generations. They want flexibility and expect leaders to respect boundaries.

Preparing Gen Z for Leadership

Gen Z is not just entering the workforce—they’re moving into management roles earlier than past generations. That means leaders today must actively mentor and prepare them.

How to Prepare Gen Z Leaders:

• Assign stretch opportunities. Give them leadership of small projects or committees to test and grow skills.
• Pair with mentors. Cross-generational mentorship helps Gen Z learn organizational history while contributing fresh perspectives.
• Encourage coaching mindsets. Provide training on how to give and receive feedback effectively.
• Expose them to strategy. Invite them into planning sessions so they can see the bigger picture of decision-making.

Managing the Multi-Generational Mix

While Gen Z is the newest focus, good managers recognize that every generation has needs. The key is flexibility:

• Avoid one-size-fits-all management.
• Ask individuals about their preferences rather than making assumptions based on age.
• Highlight the strengths each generation brings to the table.

Moving Forward

Generational shifts are not a problem to solve—they’re a reality to embrace. For managers, the opportunity is clear: by understanding what Gen Z values and preparing them for leadership, you ensure your organization remains relevant, resilient, and ready for the future. Moving forward, invest now in engaging and preparing Gen Z. Doing so not only strengthens your team today but also builds the leadership pipeline for tomorrow.

Dusty Tockstein is a senior consultant at Peter Barron Stark Companies. Dusty works with clients to improve their corporate culture through a variety of tools, including Employee Engagement Surveys, 360 Leadership Development Assessments, Leadership Coaching, and Organizational Assessments.

The post Leading Through Generational Shifts: Gen Z and Beyond appeared first on Peter Barron Stark Companies.

Is your management team about tapped out? Over the last few years, we have heard from the leaders we work with describe the pace of change as almost relentless, with no signs of slowing down. Previously, changes occurred intermittently with the introduction of a new system, a new boss, or a new product, among other factors. Today, the pace of change is unprecedented. Most leaders are struggling to stay on top. It started during COVID. We encountered the most stressed-out, exhausted, and struggling group of leaders we had ever worked with. Typically, people can hold on in high-stress times when they know there is light at the end of the tunnel, but this time, we never saw the light come. And, it’s not going to. Most leaders are coming to terms with the idea that this is the new normal, and the level of change is here to stay and continue to accelerate. 

So, you are probably wondering how to survive moving forward? Most employees in the midst of this whirlwind are looking to you, their leader, for the stability, clarity, and recognition that help them not only survive but also thrive.

The challenge is real: during periods of high change, employees require significantly more communication and recognition from their managers. Yet constant change often means you’re busier than ever, pulled in multiple directions while trying to lead through the chaos.

How to Help Your Team

To help you get through and thrive, not just survive, here are some tips on how to meet your team’s heightened needs without burning yourself out.

Communication – Quality Over Quantity. When everything feels uncertain, communication becomes your team’s anchor. But effective communication during constant change isn’t about sending more emails or scheduling more meetings. It’s about being more intentional with every interaction. 

For most written communications, less is better. Employees also have numerous emails and tasks. Sending emails in a concise and bullet-pointed format whenever possible will help. 

Create Predictable Communication Rhythms. Establish non-negotiable communication touchpoints that your team can count on: a brief Monday morning check-in, Wednesday one-on-ones, or Friday wrap-up messages. When everything else shifts, this consistent communication anchors provide stability.

Master the Art of the Quick Update. A two-minute hallway conversation about priorities or a quick message acknowledging good work can provide tremendous value without significant time investment. Last, if you don’t have the answers, say so. Being honest about what you don’t know while clearly communicating will build trust with your team.

Recognition in Real-Time: Making Every Moment Count. Traditional recognition programs feel inadequate when change is constant and stress is high. Your team needs recognition that matches the pace of their contributions. This is where a quick email, verbal acknowledgement, or meeting recognition will go a long way. Specific recognition shows that you’re paying attention and care. Remember, recognition and communication are the fuel employees need to keep going.

Recognize Resiliency. Ensure you recognize when you see staff being flexible, learning agility, collaboration under pressure, and persistence in the face of uncertainty—the behaviors you need most. These are the skills they will need to thrive in the workplace moving forward. We want to build them as much as possible. 

Restore Sense of Control. Give your team choices wherever possible, even small ones. Let them decide how to approach tasks, when to schedule learning time, or which aspects of a project to tackle first. Control over small decisions helps employees regain a sense of control over their work, which in turn enhances engagement. 

Connect Regularly. Employees’ satisfaction with their work is directly correlated to the relationship they have with their manager. The more they feel their manager cares, the more discretionary effort they are willing to give. This begins with intentionally creating opportunities to connect and demonstrate genuine care for their development and well-being. Brief team celebrations, informal problem-solving sessions, or simple check-ins all communicate their importance to the team. 

Create Share Connections. Not only do employees need to feel connected to their leader, but when teams have a sense of belonging and share values, they work together more successfully, are more engaged, and have higher levels of satisfaction. Shared connections come through team experiences, shared projects, and goals. Taking the time to create these will give you and your team more bandwidth. 

Sustainable Leadership Practices: Protecting Your Capacity

The most common leadership failure during constant change is burnout—running so hard to meet everyone else’s needs that you become ineffective at meeting your own. Below are some ideas to help you as a leader so you can be there to support your staff.

Batch Your Communication Activities. Instead of responding immediately to every request, designate specific times for checking messages, returning calls, or providing updates. This allows you to be responsive without being reactive. It will also help you focus and plan.

Delegate Communication, Don’t Hoard It. Identify team members who can help cascade information, provide peer support, or lead specific communication initiatives. This reduces your load while often improving effectiveness and providing your team with development opportunities. Your goal should be to avoid holding up anyone else’s work.

It’s a Team Thing. Along with delegating communication top-down, you must also delegate responsibility to your team for all communication, including peer-to-peer, bottom-up, and cross-departmental communication. It should be an expectation that everyone on the team is responsible for good internal and external communication. 

Schedule Strategic Thinking Time. If you wait until you have time to think strategically, it will never happen. Block of time in your calendar specifically for taking a step back and working on initiatives that can move your department and company forward. This isn’t luxury time; it’s essential work that allows you to lead proactively rather than constantly reactively. This should be at least an hour a week. 

Buy Tickets. Don’t push off your vacations, nights out, and ‘you’ time. This is what you need most to reenergize yourself and lower your stress. If you wait till things slow down, you will miss out on your life. But tickets, book the vacation. When you have tickets, you’ll find a way to go. 

While constant change creates obvious challenges, it also creates a unique leadership opportunity. Teams that learn to thrive in high-change environments develop capabilities that become competitive advantages: adaptability, resilience, collaborative problem-solving, and trust in leadership.

The leaders who master communication and recognition during constant change don’t just help their teams survive—they build organizational capabilities.

The question isn’t whether the pace of change will slow down. It won’t. The question is whether you’ll develop the leadership practices that help your team not just endure constant change, but excel because of it.

Dusty Tockstein is a senior consultant at Peter Barron Stark Companies. Dusty works with clients to improve their corporate culture through a variety of tools, including Employee Engagement Surveys, 360 Leadership Development Assessments, Leadership Coaching, and Organizational Assessments.

The post Leading Through Constant Change: A Manager’s Survival Guide appeared first on Peter Barron Stark Companies.

Quiet quitting employees stop being engaged and quit on the job, but they just don’t tell you. Quiet cracking is a more serious form of active disengagement where employees do the bare minimum, but their unhappiness with their work environment leads to decreased performance, lack of productivity, and eventually resignation. While quiet quitters are there to stay, quiet cracking will leave the organization. Since they can be top performers, it is important to identify them fast.

There are several reasons why your top performers can become quiet cracking. The reasons range from a lack of training and growth opportunities to feeling disconnected from management. Below are some reasons, along with some actions organizations can take to reduce the number of quiet cracking and quitters in your organization.

1. Lack of Support and Staffing.

   This has been a big one on our surveys. Over the last year and a half, the questions about having enough staff to get the job done have been among the lowest-rated questions for most of our clients. When employees feel their area is understaffed and that they have unrealistic workloads, they often feel that their work/life balance is off. For a short period of time, employees are typically willing to give their “all” to contribute to their employer’s success. Over a long period of time, though, morale/motivation will be negatively impacted, leading to higher levels of burnout and turnover, and of course, quiet cracking.

   When we talk to our clients, they indicate that they are not looking to increase staffing to the pre-pandemic levels and are focused on running lean. This is ok when employees have the systems and processes in place to work as efficiently as possible.  It also takes departments communicating well together and working across department lines. If adding additional staff is just not feasible in your department, as a leader, there are other things you can do to help your staff. Things that tend to affect staffing level perceptions include inefficient systems and processes, lack of teamwork and communication, and problem orientation. When employees have to do duplicate work due to ineffective systems or processes, or have to redo things due to a lack of teamwork and communication, they tend to feel understaffed. When we can be proactive with our communication and check in regularly with our internal customers, we tend to find problems sooner, can be proactive with communication, and work as efficiently as possible, reducing the perception of being understaffed and quiet cracking. 

2. Growth and Learning Opportunities

   It is a fact that when employees are learning and growing, they are more engaged in their jobs. Top performers also cite development opportunities as the #1 thing they look for in a job. If you want to turn disengagement around, delegating work to staff and providing them with new learning opportunities will be a great start. When looking at the research for quiet cracking, being stagnant in their job, or having nowhere to go were cited as reasons. As a leader, ensure that you meet with employees and discuss their development. This also doesn’t fall solely on you as a leader; getting employees actively involved in their own development helps too. They must own the process with your help and guidance. You can also check with HR to see if they have a career path program, formal development programs, and what training is available to your staff.  Assigning a mentor also helps with this type of disengagement. Ensure that all your employees are learning and growing to prevent disengagement. That doesn’t mean they have to climb the corporate ladder, as long as they are not stagnant in their jobs.

   Having your employees learning and growing regularly will also give them a sense of purpose and accomplishment, leading to high levels of engagement and less quiet cracking. 

3. Connection with Management

   When employees don’t feel connected with their manager, or heard, it is another reason for quiet cracking. It is important to know that belonging and feeling listened to are innate needs of being human. Your employees need to be heard and recognized regularly to maintain their level of engagement. This doesn’t mean they run the ship, but rather are actively part of the plan. We know that about 70% of an employee’s satisfaction at work is directly correlated to the relationship they have with their manager. That means that leaders who check in with their staff, communicate regularly, and involve them in the planning process are going to have fewer instances of quiet cracking. By soliciting your staff’s opinions, you show that you care and value their opinion. This also applies to the middle and upper management, not just the employee level. It is common for us to see a dip in scores of the middle managers or at the VP level on our surveys. When we see this, we know that information is not being shared or communicated at all levels of the organization. Communication is really the king in leadership. Also important to note that in times of high change, people crave communication and recognition at a much higher rate. So, when you are in a high-change environment, you almost can’t over-communicate or recognize staff.

   This feeling of being disconnected has also been exemplified by remote work. When you are working with remote or hybrid staff, it is important to have regular check-ins or in-office days where your whole team is in with some continuity. There is no use in being in the office if no one else is there. So, coordinate in-office days for your team if you are in a hybrid environment. 

4. Revisit Accountability

   Nothing demotivates a top performer faster than a lack of accountability. When employees see that everyone is being rewarded and recognized the same regardless of their effort or productivity, it can be a significant demotivator for your top performers. In leadership, you need to recognize and reward people based on their performance. To do this, set clear expectations and review them with each member of your team. Then, focus on the results, not time in the seat. Recognize those who not only meet their goals, but also do so on time or exceed them. Holding all employees accountable to clearly defined outcomes is hard work. With really difficult employees, it feels like a fight. When you feel that fight coming, know they are fighting for a reason. Their goal is to make it so uncomfortable for you to hold them accountable that you give up and leave them alone. But hang in there. Holding everyone accountable to the same standards will get you one step closer to creating workplace excellence.

Ensuring your employees are engaged and contributing will take you as a leader helping them with their development, increasing the level of communication, and ensuring they have the systems and processes in place to work as efficiently and effectively as possible. If you see one of your top performers falling off, make sure to connect with them. Doing so may avoid a case of quiet cracking. If this is an issue on your team, you may find our article on “when your top performers lose their edge.”

Dusty Tockstein is a senior consultant at Peter Barron Stark Companies. Dusty works with clients to improve their corporate culture through a variety of tools, including Employee Engagement Surveys, 360 Leadership Development Assessments, Leadership Coaching, and Organizational Assessments.

The post Is Quiet Cracking really a thing? appeared first on Peter Barron Stark Companies.

1. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) as a Superpower

AI can’t empathize, inspire, or engage staff. It is challenged with navigating complex human dynamics. I know some of you are staying, or at least they can’t do this yet. However, the fact remains that leaders with high EQ abilities will stand out from the rest. These leaders will be needed to:

• Build trust by understanding team motivations, fears, and aspirations. Humans can read between the lines to see the real message of what is going on. This skill of reading the room will be highly valued in the future of leadership. 
• Resolving conflicts with a win-win outcome will be another desirable EQ skill. Humans’ emotions are hard to read. Leaders who can resolve employee conflict and gain their trust are needed now, and in the workplace’s future.
• Empathy – leaders who can show that they genuinely care typically gain more followers. In the world of technology, empathy is greatly needed. We know that employees don’t want to work for a leader who doesn’t care about them or whom they don’t trust. To build the skills, leaders will need to lean on their emotional intelligence skills. [link to the blog on EQ]

Leaders can use AI tools to help them do the tasks, but they will need a high EQ to lead the culture.

2. Adaptability and Continuous Learning

AI is evolving and changing so rapidly, and leaders will need to do the same. Leaders will need to embrace experimentation and view AI as a collaborator, not a threat. Test out different AI tools to help streamline routine procedures. Think of it as a way to get tasks done so they can work on more strategic goals. To do this, leaders will need to stay curious, learn from failures, and iterate quickly. We always say: great leaders are great learners. And AI is no exception.

4. Strategic Vision with AI Augmentation

AI handles data; leaders handle what to do with the data, and are the keepers of the culture. Leaders will need to use AI for insights, not answers. Leaders need to know that AI is not replacing them, but using it to adapt to do their work and enhance team tasks. Create a vision of how AI will help your team work more efficiently and effectively to accomplish their work. Then share that vision with staff so they know how they and AI fit in, what is expected of them, and where the department is going with the help of AI.

5. Resilience and Change Management

It is a fact that most people don’t like change or to be changed. And the pace of technological change is overwhelming. But we don’t expect that ever to lighten up. Leaders need to help employees through change. When managers lead with empathy, they can acknowledge staff’s fears and provide support during technology transitions. Sometimes, sharing their own learning journey with AI tools to reframe resistance. One strategy is to turn your skeptics into champions by involving them in AI pilots and having them lead some portion of the change. To help your team with the change, inform them about the upcoming changes as soon as possible. Remember, people crave communication at a much higher rate in times of high change. 

It is important to lead your staff through change, but not allow them to resist it completely. Change is inevitable, and some resistance is normal, but if it becomes clear that some employees are not going to change, you may have to make the change for them, but let them go. 

The goal is to have a human edge in an AI world. The leaders of tomorrow won’t compete with AI; instead, they will utilize it to amplify their impact. By pairing leaders’ emotional intelligence and adaptive learning with AI’s analytical power, leaders can create efficient and deeply human workplaces. Start small by piloting an AI tool, hosting a team discussion on AI automation, or enrolling in a course on data literacy. The future belongs to leaders who embrace AI as a partner in progress.

By integrating these skills, leaders can confidently navigate AI integration with their teams, ensuring their organizations thrive in an era of unprecedented change.

Dusty Tockstein is a senior consultant at Peter Barron Stark Companies. Dusty works with clients to improve their corporate culture through a variety of tools, including Employee Engagement Surveys, 360 Leadership Development Assessments, Leadership Coaching, and Organizational Assessments.

The post The Future of Leadership: Essential Skills for Thriving in an AI-Driven Workplace appeared first on Peter Barron Stark Companies.

When we interview employees, some of the common reasons for low morale include:

1. No End in Sight.  Has your team been running lean for what seems like forever? I have had managers tell me they found that each member of their team is working almost an extra half day per week. When they brought it to their manager’s attention to be able to hire a new team member, they were shot down. The manager was baffled. The reality is that everyone is running lean these days. And even more than our pre-pandemic states. To produce great results takes hard work. 

   Most employees are willing to give it their all for a short period of time, but without light at the end of the tunnel, some may burn out or simply stop putting in the discretionary effort. Make sure you, as a manager, recognize their hard work. Sometimes, that recognition that you are going above and beyond makes a huge difference. 

2. Don’t Forget Wellness and Work-life Balance. The principles of maintaining a successful business and work-life balance are the same. You need a clear, positive vision for a balanced life for yourself and your team. Focus on priorities. Get organized. Build in margin. Allow people to say “No.” Encourage people to use their vacation time.

3. Lack of Appreciation: If everyone is so busy trying to get the huge workload completed, then there is a lack of time to tell people they had a great week or month and that they made a significant difference to the team’s or organization’s success. When a leader becomes obsessed with results, employees feel the leader only cares about the results improving (usually profits) and does not care about the people who are responsible for achieving the results. Make sure you take time each day to acknowledge the efforts your team is putting forward. Focus on results and relationships. Keep in mind that people produce results. A person who feels appreciated will always do more than expected.

4. Support Systems: When you are super busy and giving it your all, there is nothing more frustrating than a down system. Constant workarounds, glitchy computers, or slow networks can result in employees getting to their wits-end quicker than if the systems were actually supporting them in their jobs. For employees to continue to work at their best, they need the systems and processes to support them in their jobs, not challenge them. When not working as effectively as they could, it results in increased stress and workload as it now takes us longer to do the job. Make time for routine maintenance of systems and processes.  Ask yourself, “Are we still doing things the way we have always done them, just because we have always done them this way?”  Encourage innovation to ensure your processes are efficient and support today’s business needs. 

5. Set Performance Standards. It is one thing when a mediocre performer has low morale.  It is another issue when a top performer has low morale.  When that happens, leaders need to take responsibility and focus on ensuring the top performers feel that their contributions are valued and that their contributions make a significant difference to the organization’s success. In our experience, when a top performer has low morale, it is usually because the manager is not holding all team members accountable to performance standards. 

6. Hold Everyone Accountable. It sounds easy to say—deal with performance issues. But it is one of the top reasons managers are referred to us for coaching. When you have performance issues on your team, we have a simple formula: Coach and counsel the mediocre or poor performer. If coaching and counseling do not work, share your mediocre performance with a competitor. Don’t allow the mediocre performance to continue destroying your team’s morale.

I am sure a few of the items above resonated with you regarding a current or prior employee. Sometimes, we just need a refresher to realize that we are in control of our team’s culture. Follow the tips above to ensure you are supporting your team and holding them to the right standards. Doing so will help you create a high-performing team, increase your team’s bandwidth, and raise your team’s morale to an even higher level. 

The post Is your team suffering from low morale? appeared first on Peter Barron Stark Companies.

“If you keep on doing what you’ve always done, you will keep on getting what you’ve always got.”

As a leader, it is your job to successfully lead and implement the changes needed to keep your team and organization moving forward. One of the common obstacles in your way is often a team member (or a couple) balking at the change. (I’ve written more about why employees resist change here). The following 9 tips will help you overcome the attitude and actions roadblocking your efforts to effectively implement changes and lead innovation.

Acknowledge that these words are accurate

Some people love to point out that not all change is good change. They’re right, and there are countless historical examples to back it up. But I can also confidently point out that good change can’t happen in your personal or professional life without, well, change. Leadership is all about improving the condition of those we lead. We cannot lead ourselves or our teams to something better without a willingness to embrace change and strive for the results we envision.

Create a positive vision of the change

Provide your team with a positive, compelling, and inspiring vision of the outcome, and commit to it fully through your words and actions. If you, as the leader, can’t visualize a positive outcome for the implementation of the change, how can you expect your direct reports to see the change as positive.

Sell Problems, Not Solutions

Telling people that we need to improve the levels of service provided to customers is a great example of selling people on the solution instead of the problem. People have a much harder time buying into solutions they were not a part of creating. Obtain employee buy-in to a change by selling your team on the problem:

• Present the problem – If we don’t improve our website, is it possible that our customers will find a company with a better website?
• Ask for input – How do you recommend we improve our website?

People tend to like their solutions a lot better than yours. Steer the direction but allow your team members to be an active part of the solution process.

Rethink Possible

I’ve worked with countless leaders who confidently informed me that the proposed change would not work. Or they tailor their statement to their circumstances by telling me, “That won’t work here.” I don’t know about you, but when someone tells me something can’t be done, I’m that much more motivated to prove them wrong. In today’s world, there isn’t much that isn’t possible. Some things may be impossible today, but someone, somewhere, will eventually figure out how to make it possible. That “someone” can’t be your team or organization if you’re working with the belief that it’s impossible.

Involve Them in Developing a Plan

People don’t dislike change as much as they dislike being changed. Take the time to involve the people who will be responsible for implementing the change… even your most difficult and resistant employees.

Honor the Past, Build a Bridge to the Future

When new managers come into an organization, some have a need to tell everyone how good the organization they came from really was and how they intend to fix all the shortcomings of their new team. Employees understandably resist this approach, as they do a heavy-handed and brazen approach to organizational change. When it comes to leading innovation and change, this strategy has a high chance of backfiring. When team members hear their established and comfortable ways of doing things are changing, they will dig their heels in to protect how things were done in the past. Instead of forcing the change on your reluctant team members, acknowledge and honor the past, and then lead a discussion about what a new vision with even better results could look like.

Focus on Results

When it comes to significant change, leaders can get sidetracked by their focus on and concern for how team members feel. Most people do not feel excited and positive when they are being asked to make significant changes to how they do work, or the amount of work you are asking them to do. To focus solely on morale at this point is a mistake. Focus instead on the results you are trying to achieve through the implementation of the change. When people achieve positive results and the team is in alignment with the future of the organization, morale will take care of itself.

Remember the “J” Curve

Whenever a change is made, there’s a good chance that things will get worse before they get better. It’s what I refer to as riding the “J” curve of change.

When you begin to hold employees accountable for implementing a change, remember that morale and productivity may go down before it comes back up and rises to an even higher level. When you start implementing a change and hold employees accountable for the results, some employees may become resentful. Remember the J curve and keep pushing forward.

Move Fast

Research tells us that fast change is easier for an employee to deal with than slow change. Some organizations can implement a change in 24 hours. Other organizations take years to implement the same change. If you think employees enjoy slow change, put a Band-Aid on the hairiest part of your arm and pull it off… slowly, one hair at a time. It won’t take long before ripping the Band-Aid off quickly will be your preferred course of action. Consider how much time you have to implement your change and stick to the time frame if you want to remain a competitive force in the marketplace.

Being a great leader in search of the path that leads to workplace excellence is not for the faint of heart. You will run into plenty of “We’ve never done it that way before” and “It won’t work here.” Next time you’re faced with these responses, get excited. You have the tools to handle it, and you’re ready to take on the challenge of implementing change that will take you, your team, and your organization to the next level.

The post 7 Deadliest Words of Change… Strategies to Avoid getting Roadblocked appeared first on Peter Barron Stark Companies.

Prepare Staff

Before you enter fully into vacation mode, make sure your team is thoroughly prepared for the tasks they will take on for you or make them aware of any possible things that could come up in your absence. Review your projects and tasks with your team. The easiest and most efficient way to prepare your team is by creating a project or task list/plan with the dates you are gone, the tasks they are taking over with instructions on how to complete them properly, and all necessary login information to access your work. This will give employees a clear vision of your expectations and prepare them for your delegated tasks.

Email Clients

Let your clients know you will be out of the office and what dates you will be unavailable. When clients know you are off the grid and who they can connect in the event they need support, this will significantly reduce the number of times that a client needs you.

Create a Clear Out-of-Office

It is crucial that you turn on your “out-of-office” email notification that is clear to employees and clients. Explicitly note the dates that you are gone and will have no email access during this time. This will ensure that employees and clients know you will be unavailable and avoid them thinking you are ignoring them. There are some positions and fields where clients and employees need to get a hold of someone immediately to answer a question or complete a task. For this reason, you should always provide an alternative contact in your out-of-office notification.

Leave your Laptop Behind!!!!!

I know this is a hard one. It is a security blanket for the ‘what if.’ But, if you bring your laptop on vacation, you are most likely guaranteeing that you are planning to work while you are gone. It’s like carrying a big candy bar around when you are trying to eat healthier. Sooner or later, you will give in to the temptation. If your job requires you to have some form of work on hand in case of emergencies, bring only a work phone and make sure someone on the trip keeps you accountable to stay offline as much as you can.

Avoid “Checking in”

If you check in every few days while you are away, it is highly likely that people will ask for help, your opinion, or want you to make a decision on one thing or another. “Checking in” sends confusing signals to employees because they thought you were unreachable. You are less likely to get emails from people when you are off the grid, but the second you ask how everyone is holding up, you enable them to come to you anytime with their questions.

Trust your Employees

Trusting employees to take over some of your tasks might seem daunting, but they are eager to offer their help and have many skills to offer. You have trusted them to be a part of your team in the first place, so giving them some more responsibility will only increase their competence, and commitment to you and the organization. Preparing them with some cross-training before your trip will ensure they are fully equipped with the skills and alleviate some of your worries while you are gone. Think of it as providing growth opportunities for your staff. The more they take on, the more you will have time to work on strategic thinking tasks to move your department forward vs operational tasks. It also makes it that much easier to take a real vacation.

In an Emergency…it is OK to Connect

The last thing you want during your relaxing vacation or time off is to be thinking about what could be going wrong at work. To ease your mind and focus on your loved ones, let one or two team members know that it is ok to connect with you in case of an emergency. Clarify what scenarios constitute an emergency and then let them know you have absolute trust in their decisions on everything else. From there, if an emergency arises, they can text you a summary of the situation or provide a more detailed summary in your email.

What shocks many leaders is that, although they are in high positions with stressful schedules, with these tactics, they can take a break and sometimes relax too. In fact, it makes them better, more engaged leaders when they are able to check out and take a vacation. While being a leader comes with a lot of responsibility, you should never forgo your mental health altogether to keep the business running. As a leader, employees will look up to you as a role model for their behavior. If you don’t unplug from work mode during vacation, employees won’t either. Enjoy your time off, appreciate those around you, and develop your employees while you are gone.

The post Are You Guilty of Working While On Vacation? appeared first on Peter Barron Stark Companies.

So what leads to this high level of dysfunction? Our research with teams tells us the following factors help promote team dysfunction and, thankfully, keep us in business.

Strong Individual Contributors: Individually, team players are technically competent and can produce the results they need without much reliance on other members of the team.

Individual Rewards: Individuals are rewarded for their own results, and there is no reason to work as a team if you not only keep your job but receive your full bonus. Sometimes, we see individual team players who are rewarded for not collaborating with other team members (the last team member who complained about the highly competent contributor was fired).

Values: If individual results are recognized and rewarded, and there is no value placed on teamwork, communication, and collaboration, then it will be difficult to see any improvement in the areas of teamwork.

Leadership: Managers who do not like conflict, tend to deal with a lack of teamwork one-on-one, rather than bringing the people who do not work well together and discuss the problem and the need to fix it collaboratively. These same managers fail to take a stand and hold people accountable. When there are no consequences on the people who either treat people disrespectfully or fail to collaborate or work well as a team, it is difficult to permanently change the culture to one that is focused on working as a team.

Although a team was dysfunctional yesterday, there is hope that tomorrow can bring better teamwork, communication, and collaboration. The following seven tips, if practiced by everyone on the team, will help build a stronger and more cohesive team.

Common Vision and Goals: There must be a reason or purpose for a group of people to work together. That reason or purpose may be that when everyone works well as a team, each individual and the team can produce an even higher result than if they worked on their goals alone. Or team members can be more efficient. Or, when we work as a team, there is less stress and there is a chance we might even have fun. A great question to consider is, “If no one else on the team supported you or communicated with you, could you still be successful in getting your job accomplished?” And, if no one else is hindered from accomplishing their goals by your lack of teamwork and communication, you probably do not need to be a part of a team.

Common Values: If you ask a leader in an organization, “How much can you steal before you are fired from this organization?” Most will tell you something like this, “You steal, you will be fired.” This is an example of the value of honesty and integrity. If you violate a value, you will be disciplined or thrown off the bus. Few organizations value teamwork to the point that if you do not communicate, collaborate and work well with other team members, you will be fired. If teamwork is not valuable, you are better off not having it on your walls telling team members it is important.

Focus on Team Results: With common vision, values, and goals, the end result should be greater than any individual can achieve.

Positive Assumption: Believe that other team members want to do the right thing for the company and the team. If you are looking for reasons of why team members exhibit behaviors that undermine the team or other team members, you will find them. Either way, you will prove yourself right.

Self-Confidence and Respect: If a team member leaves you out of important communications or treats you disrespectfully, call them on it. If they are in the same geographic location, push your chair back and go talk to them. Look them right in the eye and tell them what their concerns are and why they choose not to include you. Ask what they/you can do differently so this does not happen again, and you can continue to build strong communication and collaboration on the team. You ask, doesn’t everyone do this? No, people with low self-confidence and respect send a 10-page email to their boss, complaining about and blaming the other members of the team.

Value Diversity: A team that has people who are different (communication style; behavioral style; leadership style) will outperform a team where everyone is alike over time. Why? Because diverse teams see things differently and do things differently and, usually, because of diversity, they are able to figure out better ways to win. It helps to be a team member who truly believes you can be even better because of the other team members who surround you. To expect others to do things the same way you would do them will only breed conflict and leave you highly disappointed.

Be a Leader: Whether the manager of the team takes the lead in building teamwork, or they do not, you still can do the right thing and take the necessary actions that improve communication, collaboration, and teamwork.

The post What is Needed to Make a Great Team appeared first on Peter Barron Stark Companies.

By 2022, 58 percent of employees now work a hybrid model or fully remote. Economics are also playing a role in organizations moving to a remote model of work, at least for some positions. It has been estimated that an organization can save approximately $11,000 a year by moving employees to a hybrid or fully remote work model.

With the Great Reshuffling to keep from losing more staff, employers began to offer hybrid working assignments (both working in the office and working remotely) or full-time remote work. Some of our clients are 100 percent remote for all management and employees. Since then, we have seen new and seasoned leaders be challenged in holding their remote team members accountable in the coaching side of our business.

Some of the specific challenges these managers have referenced include decreased communication among team members; cross-departmental teamwork struggles; decreased communication with the manager; team members not being responsive to emails, texts, or calls; and team members missing deadlines for tasks and projects.
The good news for leaders is that their remote team can be just as productive as an in-house team… as long as you hold your team accountable. Below are eight tips that leaders can implement to ensure accountability and raise the bar on productivity, communication, and collaboration.

Communicate a clear vision and measurable goals. Let team members know that your vision for the remote team is team members who are: highly engaged, communicate at a level where there are no negative surprises, collaborate well with each other and cross-departmental team members, meet deadlines as well as exceed their goals. If everyone lives this vision, the team will fulfill its mission and win.

Schedule consistent team video meetings. The best leaders we coach hold weekly team meetings. The challenge with bi-weekly or monthly scheduled meetings is if you miss one, it can easily become a bi-monthly or quarterly meeting. Let team members know you have three expectations for them in attending this meeting. Each team member is well prepared, engaged, and has their video on throughout the meeting.

Encourage strong communication, collaboration, and teamwork among team members. When communication and collaboration is strong, almost always your team will meet their goals and provide an even higher level of service to internal and external customers. Have team members talk to each other about what they are working on and if they can support each other to advance their work.

Utilize project management tracking software. This type of software allows employees to report daily or weekly workflow. If team members are accountable for logging their task updates into the software, it makes it easier for the team and the leader to see if the team member is productive and meeting their goals.

Have daily or weekly one-on-one check-ins. Check-in with each direct report often to see how they are doing, both personally and professionally, and to find out if there is any support you can provide them to help them advance their work. Most times, employees have their routine tasks down and do not need any support. These calls are a great time to have a dialogue with employees on strategic thinking or creative types of projects or activities.

Encourage employees to set work-life boundaries. I was coaching a leader who was complaining she was crazy busy and was feeling burned out. She could only set the coaching call at 6 pm and proceeded to be coached while she was making dinner for her family. When I commented not scheduling appointments after 5, she said, “My workday no longer stops. I am often on a call while I make dinner, and I find myself doing emails until late in the evening.” Leaders need to help their team members set boundaries so they can be productive during business hours and still have quality personal time.

Measure the hard, tangible results. Most organizations we work with need more qualified staff who want to work. When teams are short-staffed, it makes it harder for team members to feel fulfilled because they feel they are never going to get caught up and ahead of the workload. The challenge is that we all have too much to do and not enough time to get it done. As a leader, it is important that you clarify the most important goals you need the team member to accomplish and the timeframe to do it. Do not focus on what people are doing or how they spend their time since it is almost impossible to do when remote. If team members have clear goals, expectations, and timeframes for accomplishment, it will be much easier to maintain accountability by focusing on results and meeting their goals. It is difficult to measure morale, but team members tend to be engaged and have high morale when the hard tangible results are met or exceeded.

Recognize team member’s contributions. The research shows that team members can be even more productive working remotely than a team member in the office. With clear goals and timelines, team members will be motivated to tell their boss what they are working on and what they have accomplished. Be grateful for your team members and recognize their contributions to the team’s success.

For some cynical people, accountability is a negative word. But, when a leader holds team members accountable, there are many benefits. At the beginning of the blog, we said that one of the benefits is cost savings per employee by not needing such a large office space. A second benefit is that many employees love working from home. They feel they are more productive because they no longer have a commute. One of our clients in Los Angeles had team members that were driving two hours a day each way in rush hour traffic. Employees now even have more flexibility where they live. A third would be trust. When each team member is accountable and responsible, the leader trusts her team, and team members trust the leader. But we feel the biggest benefit of having an accountable team is highly engaged employees see lack of accountability a demotivator. With a highly accountable team, you will give them the opportunity to soar to even higher heights.

The post Holding Your Remote Team Highly Accountable appeared first on Peter Barron Stark Companies.

To ensure staff does not become burned out in their jobs, leaders must take preemptive steps to increase motivation and engagement among their current employees. Below are five tips that can increase motivation and, thus, increase employee retention at organizations when understaffed.

1 – Connection to the Goals. Help employees see how their job connects to the overall goals and objectives of the organization. We know when employees can see how their job goals connect to the organization’s overall goals and objectives, they experience higher levels of engagement. When employees have increased workloads and are bordering on burnout, it is easy for them to forget why they applied for the job in the first place. If leaders can help employees connect the organization’s mission and vision, their job and the overall goals, it may spark that same drive to succeed when they first started at the company.

2 – Truly Valued. Nothing motivates and engages employees more than truly feeling valued for their contribution to the organization. When things are busy and managers are just trying to keep everything moving in the right direction, it is hard to remember to recognize employees for their efforts. We hear managers tell us, “They know I value them. I don’t need to say it.” Nothing can be further than the truth. Employees do need to know they did a good job, that you appreciate their extra effort, and additional hours, or that they had a great idea. Remember, recognition is a habit. The more you do it, the easier it gets, and the more you will see things to recognize. To start, try to recognize one employee each day. After a few weeks, it will become part of your leadership style and second nature. Then, you can see their motivation rise.

3 – Be Transparent. Open communication is a key driver of employee engagement. When employees feel that the senior leaders are accessible, communicate regularly, and care about the employees, employees feel more connected and loyal to the organization. We call it the loyalty connection. To help with this, leaders at all levels in the organization must ensure they are practicing open communication, support staff, deliver the messages from senior leaders and get out of their office to connect with staff as much as possible. The senior leaders also need to be accessible for employees and their managers as much as possible.

4 – Show You Care. Take a personal interest in your employees. When employees don’t have a good connection with their leaders, we hear employees say they don’t feel their manager listens to their concerns or cares about them. If employees feel burned out from their workload, having a boss who doesn’t actively listen can exacerbate the situation. Leaders don’t need to become friends with their employees, and we suggest they don’t. But, it is important for leaders to show an interest in employees’ lives to show they care and value them outside of their skill set. Doing so will increase organizational commitment and motivation.

5 – Mental Breaks. When you are working hard and you feel yourself getting overwhelmed, a small mental break can help. As employees become mentally and/or physically drained, it is time to take a break. Encourage employees to either schedule PTO, or, during the day, go for a short walk in the fresh air or have a quick chat about the weekend or an upcoming event. This will turn their attention away from their computer screen for a short bit and can help regain focus. It seems small, but it can help.

During rough patches when companies are understaffed, it is an arduous task to keep the existing employees engaged and motivated when they don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. In order to keep the employees happy and motivated, follow the tips above to help reduce burnout and increase employees’ commitment to your organization.

The post 5 Tips to Increase Motivation and Decrease Burnout appeared first on Peter Barron Stark Companies.