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How adversity can create better leaders

Skills-based hiring: The way of the future

Remote CEO 101: Hire the best people, build a great culture

In a recent interview with CEO.com, 8x8 CEO Samuel Wilson emphasized hiring and culture as the cornerstone of a remote company's success and growth, as they set the foundation for a productive and engaged workforce.Wilson’s belief in hiring the best people regardless of location highlights a modern approach to talent acquisition. Since its growth post-pandemic, remote work and video conferencing technology have enabled collaboration with top talent worldwide. This expands the pool of potential candidates and brings diverse perspectives and skills to the team.Wilson also discussed the importance of communication in a remote work environment. By regularly sharing updates and insights with the entire company, a leader can help employees feel connected and informed about the organization's goals and progress. This open communication fosters a sense of belonging and unity among team members, even if they are physically separated.In addition to virtual communication, Wilson highlighted the value of in-person meetings and team gatherings. By bringing employees together for high-energy collaboration sessions, the speaker creates opportunities for team building and relationship building. These face-to-face interactions help strengthen the company culture and foster a sense of community among employees.Wilson believes in the importance of clarity and consistency when defining and communicating company values. Establishing a shared sense of purpose and direction is critical to clearly articulating the organization's values and ensuring that employees understand and embody them. This alignment of values guides decision-making and behavior within the company and shapes how external stakeholders perceive the company.

Plan your time wisely

In a recent CEO.com interview, Vector Solutions CEO Jonathan Cherins discussed the importance of planning his time wisely to lead and stay effectively connected with his team and customers. He emphasized the need to be in charge of his calendar and prioritize tasks that move the company forward. By color-coding his calendar and scheduling regular meetings with key team members, he ensures that important issues are addressed and progress is made.Cherins also highlighted the importance of being present and flexible, especially when traveling to meet with customers and team members. He can build relationships and address issues more effectively by making time for face-to-face interactions. Additionally, he allows himself space to think, breathe, and adapt to changing circumstances and priorities.Regarding personal time management, Cherins alternates between light reading for distraction and heavy reading for personal growth. By engaging in various genres, including fantasy, historical fiction, and biographies, he can stay connected with his children and continue learning and growing. This balance between escapism and personal development helps him recharge and stay motivated.Leaders can better manage their time and achieve their goals by prioritizing tasks, building relationships, and allowing space for personal growth and reflection.

How to develop team members and yourself

Before you can lead others, you must first learn to lead yourself. That's the concept behind self-leadership. As leaders practice self-leadership, they can use the same principles to develop and mentor their employees and team members.Every leader's definition of self-leadership can vary. Still, most definitions follow an outline similar to the one laid out by best-selling author Liz Wiseman: If leadership development is helping people move toward a shared vision, self-leadership is bridging that gap between where we are and where we need to be.Simply put, it is the ability to progress and grow in the right direction and involves self-knowledge, goal setting, and self-management. It means self-awareness to understand skills and weaknesses and the sensory context to learn how others perceive those skills and weaknesses.We live in a time of ambiguity and change when leaders ask people to constantly give up the comfort of the status quo and move in new directions to develop new strategies, learn new skills, and let go of old practices. However, according to Wiseman, it's much harder for leaders to ask their employees to change and evolve if they aren't willing to do it themselves.As leaders set the example through self-leadership and continually evaluate, evolve, and refine their skills and mindsets, they set the example and create a safe and supportive culture for employees to follow in their footsteps — leading to an organization and workforce that is primed for the future and continually improving and growing.Practices for Leaders Who Want to Develop Their TeamIn its most basic form, mentoring provides employees with a person to act as a sounding board, coach, and guide. Research shows that 90% of employees with a career mentor are happy at work, meaning mentoring helps leaders build their teams and creates a supportive and engaging environment where employees can grow and thrive.Consider these five best practices for leaders as they mentor:1. Be intentional. Mentoring requires building authentic relationships. Set aside time to communicate, be available, and give your best to your mentees.2. Create confidence. A strong mentor builds up the people around them by empowering their employees to try new things, ask questions, and believe in themselves.3. Be constructive. Great mentors provide feedback and don't shy away from difficult conversations. They seek to build up the people around them as they help them improve.4. Be an active listener. Please pay attention to the people you are mentoring and communicate in ways that make them feel comfortable and heard.5. Connect and collaborate. Mentoring is about relationship-building. Work with your mentee to improve and grow together.What Self-Leadership Looks Like When MentoringSelf-leadership may be an internal process for leaders, meaning they follow the practice to improve themselves. But, they can apply self-leadership principles and involve their mentees in a relationship that benefits and improves both parties.Here are three suggestions to put self-leadership into practice when mentoring:Provide FeedbackSelf-leadership relies on honest feedback. In a mentoring setting, this means providing feedback regularly through routine conversations and check-ins instead of waiting for an annual or semi-annual review. When giving feedback, mentors can point out blind spots in their mentees. Wiseman shares the experience of talking with an author she mentors. She asked if he wanted feedback and then shared an adjustment that improved his book. The author couldn't see the suggestion because he was heads-down when writing the book. A mentor can help people see what's on the periphery with regular feedback.Create SafetyAlong with providing feedback, mentors can also create a psychologically safe environment for their mentors to ask questions, experiment, and listen to suggestions without fear of judgment. Amy Edmonson refers to this as "permission for candor." When employees and teams feel safe to speak up, they tend to be more motivated and engaged and create better work. Whether you're mentoring one person or leading a team, creating safety through humility and sharing your growth establishes candor and strengthens relationships.Creating safety comes from asking inviting questions that people don't feel pressured to answer a certain way. It's the difference between asking, "Do you have any feedback?" versus "What feedback do you have for me?" As leaders practice self-leadership, they ask questions that welcome a response and build relationships.Understand ContextA significant component of self-leadership is self-awareness. For mentors, that means helping mentees see things they cannot see and helping bring situational and contextual awareness. Often, employees don't lack the skills; they lack visibility and context. A mentor acts as a sounding board for ideas and helps mentees find what they struggle to see; they encourage growth and development. A good mentor helps people raise their sights and see things differently, perhaps by taking a different perspective, providing additional information, or giving them new responsibilities. As leaders provide context, their mentees can see things differently and apply their skills and knowledge in a new way for better results.Self-leadership encourages leaders to grow and develop continually. When self-leaders become mentors, they can share those principles and help build their team members, resulting in a positive and prepared organization.

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