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About: Kathleen Lapekas

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Leadership

Directing the Orchestra – Part 4 of a 5 Part Series

Leaders have 5 key roles to play in any business:

Building bridges

Casting the vision

Humanizing the business

Directing the orchestra

Coaching the team

The Conductor – Directing from a deeper understanding

As I watch in admiration, the mechanics of an orchestra, I reflect on how many moving parts there are to pull off their performance. While the Conductor doesn’t play any of the instruments, he or she knows the how the musical piece as a whole is affected by each instrument and section.  Just as the leader of a company needs a deeper understanding of the company’s values and objectives and how they will be met by each employee and department .

Maximizing the Talent

A Conductor’s prime directive is to guide the musicians in playing together to create the best musical experience possible. They select musicians for their talent and their ability to play within the group. A Leader’s job is similar in that they need to be able to see the big picture and understand the contributions of each employee. A conductor selects the best musicians for their respective talents and then trusts them to perform at the highest level with active direction. It’s the same concept in a company. Each employee must be hired for their strengths and empowered to perform their very best work, utilizing guidance to maximize their performance within the team.

Delegate the Work

Conductors typically delegate some tasks related to a performance, such as setting performance schedules, venue related technicalities and depending on the their leadership style, even selecting music. All this allows them to focus on the things they do best. Likewise, at work, Leaders delegate functions that can be handled by people they trust to get the job done. This allows leadership to stay out in front of the team to provide guidance around a unified mission.

Hold Them Accountable

If each musician isn’t performing to the best of their ability, the music suffers, audibly… Part of the Conductor’s job is to ensure everyone brings their “A Game” to every practice and their “A+ Game” to each performance. If a musician isn’t making the performance great, they’re making it mediocre or worse. To this end, Conductors hold each musician accountable for their individual performances as well as instrumental sections and the greater orchestra. Feedback is swift and precise. It’s imperative for the success of the performance. Likewise leaders need to be able to assess an employee’s output, hold them accountable and provide praise or constructive, actionable feedback.

When all the expert directing reaches the crescendo – Music, Maestro!

An Orchestra Conductor is often compared to a leader because they both guide a group of individuals, setting the pace, direction, and overall vision, ensuring everyone works together harmoniously to achieve a unified outcome. Although the Conductor doesn’t directly perform each task themselves, like a Leader, the Conductor delegates responsibilities within a team while maintaining overall control.  A team, like an orchestra, can have multiple facets and a variety of personalities that contribute to the body of work. A Leader is like the Conductor of a passionate and well-prepared orchestra – leading the team to showcase their collective talents.

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Leadership

Humanizing the Business – Part 3 of a 5 Part Leadership Series

Leaders have 5 key roles to play in any business:

Building bridges

Casting the vision

Humanizing the business

Directing the orchestra

Coaching the team

There are 2 things that really matter when it comes to Leadership:

  1. Ensuring the needs of the business are met
  2. Ensuring the needs to the people are met

Both are important, but not necessarily in that order…

Taking care of the needs that the people have is of utmost importance. When the needs of the people are met (things such as being respected, listened-to, treated fairly, held accountable, given opportunities), people will, in turn, take care of the needs of the business.

Many times we see Managers who will prioritize (at the expense of the people) activities that help make a profit for the Company. While making a profit is important, doing so at the expense of the welfare of the team is extremely short-sighted leadership. Think about it this way…have you ever been too busy driving that you can’t stop to fill up your tank with gas? Neglected long enough, you will find that your car will no longer run. The same is true of people.

The Goose and the Golden Eggs

An old Aesop’s fable tells the story of a poor farmer who had a small farm with only a few animals to tend. The farmer and his wife lived hand-to-mouth, and struggled making a living. One day, as an answer to a prayer, the farmer found a golden egg resting in the nest of his favorite goose. Thinking it was a prank, he was prepared to toss it away; but he decided to take it to market to have it tested. Much to his surprise, it was the real deal – a 14 karat solid gold egg! He immediately cashed it in, and brought home a bag full of coins to show to his wife. They were so grateful for this windfall!

The next day, he checked the nest, and he was delighted to see another gold egg. He immediately rushed to market and cashed it in and brought home another bag of coins. The next day, another egg, and more coins. Day after day, he found a single egg in the nest and every day he took it to market – growing gradually wealthier and wealthier. However, he grew impatient having to wait each day for one egg at a time. His impatience got the better of him, and he took the goose (the producer of the golden eggs) and lopped off its neck and reached inside of the goose to retrieve all of the eggs at one time – only, instead of getting golden eggs, he got goose guts!

Out of greed and avarice, he killed his producer and lost his blessing in the process.

The Lesson

Prioritizing taking care of the needs of the people helps to better serve the organization as a whole. With the right people on the team, fulfilled and contributing at their best, the organization is far more blessed. However, squeezing every little “drop of life” out of them will lead to losing them to better companies.

I once read a dentist marquis that read, “If you ignore your teeth, they’ll go away.” Well, so will your best employees when their needs aren’t prioritized. It’s a Leader’s job to keep “humanity” in the business – and be in the business of taking care of the Company’s “human” resources every day.

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Leadership

Casting the Vision – Part 2 of a Five Part Leadership Series

Leaders have 5 key roles to play in any business:

Building bridges

Casting the vision

Humanizing the business

Directing the orchestra

Coaching the team

It’s important to realize that Leaders are responsible for focusing upon the “big picture” to make decisions that will impact the team. This means looking ahead down the road at the horizon, and evaluating the change in conditions that may cause changes to be made. If Leaders have a long-range view of the business, they are better able to anticipate changes, and communicate their plan with greater confidence to their team.

Looking at the Horizon

The summer that I turned 15 years old, I was enrolled in the Driver’s Education program through our local high school. Prior to this, for some unknown reason, I had never experienced being behind the wheel of a car. I recall getting into the driver’s seat, buckling up, and following the directives of the instructor sitting beside me in the passenger seat while two of my classmates rode along in the back seat.

I began to drive down the road, and I recall that I was extremely concerned about hitting something. In order to ensure I wouldn’t hit something with the car, I placed my visual focus on the road immediately ahead of me. To be exact, I was focusing on about 10-feet ahead of the vehicle.

The result of looking just ahead of the car was that I began significantly “overcorrecting” with the steering wheel. Noticing that I was significantly overcorrecting, Mr. Klumpp, my instructor, kindly asked, “Kathy, where are you looking?” I responded to him that I was looking directly ahead. Following up on this, he asked me, “Approximately how far ahead, would you guess?” I guessed it to be about 10-feet in front of the vehicle.

He said, “Ah…well, I noticed that you were overcorrecting, which is why I asked. I’ll tell you what, try picking your line of sight up to the horizon, instead. This way, you’ll be better able to anticipate changes in the driving situation. For example, if traffic begins to back up, you’ll see it in plenty of time to be able to adjust your speed to slow down, or to even make a decision to reroute yourself. You always need to keep your focus on the horizon so that you’re able to make decisions ahead of time; rather than slamming on the brakes reacting to a sudden change.” He was an excellent teacher, I must admit.

This situation was a powerful life lesson as well! As a Leader, you’re figuratively in the driver’s seat – with your team serving as your passengers. As the driver, you are responsible for making critical moment-to-moment decisions that affect both you and your passengers.

“Casting the Vision” requires you, as a Leader, to be the one responsible for thinking ahead, looking for possible changes in the conditions of your business, and keeping your view on the “horizon.” In addition, as a Leader, to cast out your vision, you are responsible for forming a plan, communicating your plan, and also explaining when you make decisions to alter that plan

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Employee Relations, Employee Retention Strategies, Leadership

Leaders Are Bridges Not Fences – Part 1 of a 5 Part Series

The effectiveness of leaders is integral to an Employee’s experience at work. The number one cause of poor morale in a workplace is lack of trust in leadership. This mistrust stems from two sources: 1. Lack of accountability in the workplace and 2. Avoidance behaviors with conflict. Warren Buffet once said, “Trust is like the air that we breathe. When it’s present, nobody really notices it. However, when it’s absent, everybody notices.”

Leaders have 5 key roles to play in any business:

Building bridges

Casting the vision

Humanizing the business

Directing the orchestra

Coaching the team

Bridges are designed to create a connection between two spaces without blocking the path below. The three main parts of a bridge include the foundation, the sub-structure and the super structure. True leadership builds bridges for people, facilitating “connection.” It removes obstacles that may interfere with the path.

Leaders Begin With The Foundation

It starts by explaining the “whys.” Leaders help people understand why there is a policy, a procedure, or a process in place. Or they may help people understand why changing an existing practice is necessary. Providing Employees with a genuine understanding, promotes genuine trust.

The Sub-Structure

Building “bridges” should create connections for people. That means connecting them to the resources they need. Resources can be tools, technology, or even other people. They also resolve conflicts when they occur. When we’re working with people, we’re working with emotions. The source of most conflicts is likely going to be anger, worry or frustration. Leaders work to help “de-fuse” emotions and address the root causes of conflicts. This is done by acknowledging emotions yet addressing behaviors.

The Super Structure

A quality leader will inspire people to reach out to others to ask for help. They lead by example. Asking for someone’s help is a powerful demonstration that you trust them. It shows vulnerability and humility and encourages others to step up and lend a hand. They work to facilitate collaboration and build on the ideas of others.

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Employment Law, Independent Contractors

The Work of Independent Contractors

There’s a bit of confusion surrounding the differences between using “Independent Contractors” and W-2 Employees. Businesses cannot afford to make a mistake in this area by misclassifying a person as an Independent Contractor, when the person is actually performing the work as a W-2 Employee.

The biggest problem with misclassifying employment status is how employment taxes are paid and who pays them. Obviously, direct employees (“W-2’s”) are individuals who are paid directly by the employer; and while taxes are withheld from the employee’s paycheck, the employer also pays social security tax, Medicare tax, federal and state payroll taxes. Independent Contractors pay all their own employment-related taxes – as they are their own business.

Let’s use an example of hiring an electrician to rewire your home or business.

There are a few quick questions to help evaluate if the person is truly an independent contractor or if they are an employee:

Does the worker offer services to more than just your firm?

· The electrician is not an employee of yours – they are their own company providing a service to you (as well as to many other home owners).

Do you have to train the worker to do the job in a particular way?

· You would not be responsible for training the electrician how to perform the work (the electrician would have their own expertise).

Do you set the worker’s hours?

· You may be able to ask the electrician to show up at a timeframe that will work for you, but you wouldn’t dictate to the electrician how long they would have to stay, or that they have to begin work exactly at 8am or they’ll be docked pay!

Must the worker spend all of his or her time on your job?

· You also wouldn’t be able to restrict the electrician from doing work for other home owners or businesses.

Do you provide the worker with the tools / equipment to do the work?

· You wouldn’t provide the electrician with the tools (ladders, ammeters, PPE) to be able to do the job – they would have all the required equipment with them on their truck.

There are more questions to help assess the relationship. However, if you answered “yes” to any of the ones listed here, then it’s important to really evaluate whether you’re working with an independent contractor or you should be paying this person as a W-2 employee.

Interested in more information on Independent Contractors?

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Best Practices, Employee Relations, Employee Retention Strategies

Meaningful Ways of Rewarding Others – Find Your $100 Handshake

What’s a $100 handshake?

Meaningfully rewarding others doesn’t have to be complicated. A while ago, I listened to a podcast called “The Leading Creative.” The author mentioned the importance of rewarding people in ways that actually matter to THEM; as an individual. He told a story about a sales manager who gave “$100 handshakes” to his sales team members for a job well done. Literally… he’d fold up a $100 bill into a small square and place it in the cup of his hand. As the manager shook the salesperson’s hand, the bill would be passed to the salesperson. Now, many sales people are money-minded. Getting a cool, crisp $100 bill might really resonate with them. But, is money equally motivating to everyone?

Rewarding others – How to know what’s meaningful?

Listen to what a person talks about, stories about how they spend their free time. Pay attention to what gets someone excited when they’re speaking. Then, find a creative way of rewarding others with that special “thing!” For example, if someone is always talking about golf, then paying for a round of golf for them might be a “hole in one!” If they’re always talking about coffee, a gift card to a local coffee shop might really “buzz” with them

What is my equivalent “$100 Handshake?”

It got me thinking about what my “$100 Handshake” would be… It quickly came to me: receiving a Disney gift card. My family goes to Disney 2-3 times per year, it’s “our thing.” We’re always talking about Disney trips (past and future) and things that we love about it.

One day, I agreed to be a guest speaker at a business networking meeting. Afterwards, the event coordinator thanked me for my great work and passed along a thank you note. Inside the note I found a Disney gift card enclosed! I was over the moon! The fact that someone had paid attention to my passions and knew how much this gift would mean to me touched my heart.

When rewarding others – small, personalized recognition really matters.

In today’s world, it seems that the details about a person can get overlooked. Take a moment to listen – people will clue you in to what they find meaningful. Successfully rewarding others just takes paying attention and finding a way to personalize the reward. It’s so easy to do, and its impact is longer-lasting than you may realize.

Want help finding creative ways of rewarding others at work? Or help with Employee Retention Strategies in general?

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Best Practices, Employee Relations

Stop Interrupting-Communicate Better

We’ve all done it… interrupted someone when they’re trying to tell us something.

Have you ever wondered why conversational interruptions are so common?

Fun fact: The average human being speaks at 125-150 words per minute. The typical human brain processes 600 words per minute.

In short, when we’re listening to others, our brains are being underutilized, and our minds begin to wander. One of a few outcomes is possible in this situation. Our minds can begin to drift into our own thoughts… “What am I going to have for lunch?” “Did I send that email?” “Don’t forget to make an appointment to get my teeth cleaned…” Conversely, we may try to stay involved in the present conversation. In order to keep our own random thought at bay, we start to think ahead of the speaker. We interrupt to add a comment or suggestion.

If this is a problem for you (as it has been for me in the past) you could try:

1. Keeping your finger held over your lips while listening to others (as a cue to you to hold your interruption).

2. Count 5 seconds before you speak after the other person has finished. This polite pause can signal it’s your turn to talk.

3. Write down your ideas (take notes) when someone is talking so you can catch your wandering thoughts before it escapes your brain.

4. Ask a friend to help you by pointing out when they see you interrupt. That kind of input can go a long way toward changing your behavior.

What we need to remember is that verbal communication skills are more than just our ability to clearly convey a message; they also include our ability to receive messages and process the information. This includes all the “non-verbal communication” a speaker is transmitting as well. When you stop yourself from interrupting another person you improve the quality of information you’re receiving, regardless of whether it’s in business or personal communication.

Interested in designing a program to help your employees become better leaders

through better listening skills?

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Best Practices, Employee Relations, Employment Law

Top 5 Reasons To Have A Employee Handbook

Top 5 reasons a business needs an Employee Handbook:

5. Employees appreciate knowing the rules, and how their employer will handle a given situation. I like to think of a handbook to being similar to the white-lines along the side of the road (they’re called guidelines for a good reason). They are there to help drivers know what the boundaries are. They keep everyone out of the “trouble zone.”

4. Employees don’t need to come to you with every question they have. Many of their questions can be answered just by checking in the handbook. This is particularly effective when managers encourage using the Employee Handbook like a tool.

3. Handbooks give employers protection when hiring, firing, and making any number of other employment decisions. Employers have a greater chance of winning unemployment claims and discrimination/wrongful discharge claims if they have a quality employee handbook. Quality, in this instance, requires policies that are written to reflect legal compliance.

2. Managers make better, more consistent decisions when clearly written, easily understood policies are readily available to reference.

1. An Employee Handbook gives your employees the sense their work environment is professional. They understand they work for a business that knows it is a BUSINESS; and isn’t being run as if it were a “hobby.”

A word of advice to business owners — NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use someone else’s handbook or download one from the internet. You are legally-binding your company to those policies. Even if you think you’ll revise the handbook later, you may not be familiar with all the potential legal issues that can arise from having policies in place that don’t pertain to your company. You need an employee handbook written to be legally compliant for your business.

For personal attention to personnel matters, call Kathleen Lapekas – SHRM-CP, PHR @ 812.457.1068.

Need help putting together a handbook that’s meaningful for your employees?

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Best Practices

It’s Always Best To Be Gracious

My mother, by her example, taught me that we should always do our level best to be gracious. As I see people serving the public in retail, restaurants, housekeeping, home services, hotels, etc., I remember that these folks recognize and truly appreciate kindness. And they really need it daily.
Tip servers, leave kind notes (and tips) for housekeeping staff, write Google reviews about a company and specifically highlight the person who made your experience worthwhile. And if you didn’t experience an exceptional “over-the-top” event, still be gracious. We all have occasional bad days.
 
 
Kathleen Lapekas and her son Jacob Lapekas

Lapekas HR Consulting – Personal Attention for Personnel Matters

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