Building Trust

To accomplish those things that matter most to you and whatever organization(s) you belong to it is vital that you work effectively with the other "performers" in your circus. A key factor in building a team and getting them to contribute (whether your team is a company or a family) is to build a culture of trust. Trust is one of those things that takes a great deal of work and time to build but can be destroyed in seconds.

Stephen M.R. Covey and Greg link have just written a new book on how to build trust and create prosperity, energy and joy in a low trust world. Consider what you can do to improve and create trust in your relationships. Also consider what you may be doing that is eroding the trust that you have worked hard to develop. Make a change and win!

If You Really Want To Be The Only Performer

There is no question that working with the performers in your circus is challenging. Some people even tell us that they could get more done if they didn't have to depend on other people.

If you are one of those people who just can't bear the thoughts of managing even one performer as part of your job, check out the article http://education.yahoo.net/articles/careers_for_haters.htm?kid=1KA49 to see what career choices might be in your best interest.

Coach, Don't Criticize

In our book, Juggling Elephants we point out that, "The relationship between the ringmaster and the performers affects the success of the circus." One key area of building or tearing down your relationship with the other performers in your circus is how well are you providing feedback or correcting others when a mistake is made. Do you tend to coach or do you just criticize?

When mistakes are made, emotions tend to be added to the dynamic of the situation. You may be mad, frustrated or confused that the mistake was made. The person that made the mistake might be embarrassed, discouraged, defensive or oblivious. Your natural tendency might be to just quickly point out the mistake, tell them to fix the problem and then move on. Addressing a mistake poorly can just add fuel to an already smoldering fire. Turning your back and not taking advantage of the moment to teach or help others improve is just being selfish.

There are plenty of critics out there pointing out what is wrong with something and then conveniently moving on. Next time that you see the opportunity for improvement consider the following:

• Stop. It is easy to ignore an opportunity to coach


• Think. Don't jump into a potentially flammable situation without taking the time necessary to properly organize your thoughts


• Listen. How did the mistake happen? What were the causes? What is their side of the story?


• Teach. Share knowledge, experience and how to...


• Discuss. Work together to come up with a potential third alternative on how to improve and keep the mistake from happening again

It would be nice if there were more coaches that are in it "for the season" and who not only point out the problem, but also help create a solution. Be the coach and not the critic.

Rewarding Your Peformers

In our training programs, we highlight the fact that when we are so busy trying to get it all done that we don't often take the time (it's actually an investment that pays HUGE dividends) to recognize the work of the individuals around us.

Dan Rockwell writes a marvelous blog series entitled, "Leadership Freak." A post some time ago addressed the need to reward your employees if you are a manager. In his blog, 20 Low Cost Rewards That Fuel Performance, he provides an outstanding list of ways you can show your appreciation to the performers in your circus. Try them today to give some much needed "standing ovations" to those around you.

Reviewing Your Work As A Ringmaster

Salary.com posted an article entitled, "The Seven Noble Virtues of the Workplace." They interviewed employees about what they considered to be the most important virtues to have in the workplace. They were:

• Prudence (Knowing when to keep quiet about something)
• Justice (Being honest and fair with others)
• Restraint (Allowing coworkers to make their own mistakes)
• Courage (Accepting challenging tasks)
• Faith (Trusting your teams)
• Hope (Being generally optimistic)
• Charity (Helping coworkers with their projects even if you will see no benefit)

 The list might be a good way for you to review your work as a ringmaster to insure that you are creating and maintaining an environment where your performers are motivated to give their best effort.