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From the desk of: Leadership Lesson from our CEO | Goal Setting

Goal Setting Equals Happiness?

Much has been written about people wanting more from their job (goal setting and achievement). Happiness equates to (not surprisingly) bonuses, raises, promotions and recognition. These goals are universal, and young workers put pressure on themselves to achieve them. But without a clear understanding of what your organization is expecting of you, that happiness is much harder to achieve.

These expectations, coming in the form of annual goals or objectives, are essential to career building.  Furthermore, when you align your performance to the expectations of the organization, then you will be amazed at the degree to which you separate yourself from others. That means more opportunity and more money.

However, goal setting is often moved to the bottom of the list due to the everyday demands of your position. It’s completely normal. Still, it’s on you to overcome those demands and get a meeting with your superiors. Setting clear goals keeps your hard work from being overlooked.

True Goal Setting – A Frame Work

I encourage young talent to set no less than four goals, and no more than six. Here’s how you should frame them:

  1. They should be set annually.
  2. Each goal should be measurable, so they can be scaled and the subsequent performance evaluated either as exceptional or poor.
  3. Employees are responsible for gathering verified data.
  4. Results matter. The ability to be disciplined in your time management can’t be stated enough.

Breaking Down the Goals

Two goals should be achieved individually. Just doing your job doesn’t count – that’s already expected of you. Goals should be to increase your effectiveness, whether in terms of (1) quality of your work or (2) ability to get things done quicker, so you can be more productive. These goals are objective, but it’s up to you to keep track of them.

One goal should be set with you as a team member.  Teamwork is essential to any organization and you should strive for more effectiveness in this regard. It is not a popularity contest, but how well you work with others.  Peer evaluations can give you wonderful feedback.

At least one goal should be set with you as a team leader. It’s a difficult goal, requiring you to look at your current job description and brainstorm ideas that should be explored to develop best practices.  Leadership is not about being given a title; it is about proactively looking for ways to be a leader, then effectively leading the team to results. 

Stretch Goals – Benefit the Organization

That’s four goals so far, the minimum you should strive to achieve. Any goal beyond these should benefit the organization directly. This is what’s known as a stretch goal. A stretch goal tests your range and flexibility. You may have a firm grasp on your current job function and now it is time to reach and grab something else.  A stretch goal is not about asking for a promotion.  It is not about asking for more responsibility.  It is about you taking on an increased workload or a chance to improve the business.  A stretch goal is about showing that you can make something happen faster, cheaper and with better quality.  This demonstrates that you are ready for more responsibility, more opportunity and more money.

Careers are earned and not given; don’t be a bystander who wishes for more. Seize the opportunity through achievement.

This has been the last article in our “From the desk of” series, special content created just for you, from our CEO Brad Eller. Share it as you wish, in the form of a link, or informally. The intent is to help your people align their career goals with the everyday needs of the organization, creating value.

To read all the articles: click here.

From the Desk of: Leadership Lessons from our CEO | Learning Self- Leadership

Have you learned self-leadership?

Psychologists often say that self-awareness first begins when we’re toddlers. Seeing ourselves in the mirror, we eventually move from pointing at our reflection to using those fingers to examine our own features. Self-confidence also begins as early as our first steps. For some, it comes naturally. For others it’s a struggle, but with experience, we know it can be developed.

Self-leadership; however, is a purely adult skill, and it’s possible you’ve never even heard of it. For employees, self-leadership is about learning to internalize what they want and need. There is much confusion about how those wants and needs should be expressed, and to whom they should be expressed to.

Leadership Lessons

In my 30-plus years of leadership, whether as a United States Marine, a businessperson, or as a father, I’ve heard these phrases repeatedly: “I need this.” “I want that.” Someone is looking to someone else to provide them with something. It’s an external question. And that’s the problem with it.

Success comes when people internalize wants and needs rather than externalizing them. Externalizing wants and needs is learned behavior from childhood, because it probably worked! As a grown up, it sends a clear signal that equates to “You’re not ready.” For a raise. For a promotion. For a job itself.

When you ask “I need” or “I want” internally, you’re actually setting goals! With clear goals, you can then develop strategies to accomplish them. These strategies may involve getting help or buy-in from others. We all need support, after all. If an employee comes to you saying they “want” to be promoted, how would you react? Compare that to an employee who tells you their goal is to lead, or to have more responsibility. Wouldn’t you agree there’s much more to work with?

Commodity or Asset?

Having a strategy or a plan to accomplish goals allows for tangible measurements so that they know when or what they’ve achieved. This puts them in a position of, finally, self-leadership. Bingo!

An employee who doesn’t internalize their wants and needs is actually seeing themselves as a commodity available to be traded to the highest bidder. In many cases, their company is glad to see them go. An employee who views themselves as an asset capable of generating success takes the steps necessary toward self-leadership.

“I want” or “I need” should be replaced with “I will.”  Instead of “I want a raise” replace it with “I will earn a raise.”  “I need a vacation” is replaced with “I will take a vacation”. 

“I want” or “I need” is wishful thinking.  “I will” is proactive thinking. 

This mentality, when acted upon, causes others to react to you and places you in the position of self-leadership, which leads to life success.  Self-leadership also assists you in making career decisions that align with your wants and needs over time. 

Building a Career

Just as important, self-leadership will allow you to read your emotional gauges.  We all have different wants or needs.  When these wants and needs are not met we tend to lose our temper, feel sad or upset.  We get emotional.  It is good to feel passionate about your abilities, contributions and performance, but you must step outside of these feelings and assess if you are still on track to achieve your plan.  Remember that you have strategies you’ve developed.  Stick to your plan despite how you feel.  Hopefully, you have measurements that allow you to view your performance that will help you.  This is career building.

This has been another article in our “From the desk of” series, special content created just for you, from our CEO Brad Eller. Share it as you wish, in the form of a link, or informally. The intent is to help your people align their career goals with the everyday needs of the organization, creating value.

This is 2nd post in our Leadership Series. If you missed the first one, click this link: What do you want me to do?

From the Desk Of: A Leadership Series from our CEO Brad Eller | What Do You Want Me to Do?

What do you want me to do? “Ask and you shall receive.” – Anonymous

Recently, I asked an associate to help me plan an event that would take place later in the day. It was a relatively simple task, so the two of us quickly came to an understanding of the steps needed to reach the future desired state. We did not define roles and responsibilities, as I knew either one of us could do it. Later in the day, I called the associate and explained that my morning was busy, but it was now time to review our agreed-upon approach and implement our plan. The associate then asked, “What do you want me to do?”

Great question! It took me a moment, but after hearing my response, the associate chuckled, then took it upon themselves to get the job done!

“What do you want me to do?” is a question leaders hear a lot. There’s no single right answer, just the answer that’s right for the individual who asks it.  Individuals must learn to apply knowledge and experience.  Some fail to gain knowledge, some fail to learn through experience, and some lack the application.  You must tailor your response based upon these areas.

Employees who are new to the workforce or to their job should feel comfortable asking “What do you want me to do?”. A new assignment can be daunting, and a little scary. But by not asking, they miss out on an opportunity to learn and apply new found knowledge, then swinging into action and getting the job done. 

Sometimes employees simply lack confidence in their ability, even after experiencing success. In that event, I suggest modifying their question to “This is what I think we should do.  Do you agree?”  They’ve put a plan forward offering a solution and are seeking guidance.  Most times their plan will be the plan since they’ll be expected to make it work. And they’ll learn a valuable secret: a plan that is highly collaborative, and well-implemented need not be perfect to show the value you bring to the organization.

Then there are the star employees, the truly talented. They have the ability to know what to do and how to get it done.  They understand when to collaborate or ask questions.  Most importantly, they project what they have learned to develop insights into planning and problem solving.  When they ask questions, it is because they have exhausted all possibilities and truly recognized that the collective may have better insights.  They understand their limitations, but continue to learn, absorbing knowledge with the application of getting things done.  They expand their responsibilities by proactively seizing the initiative. These employees become leaders.

More often, you’ll come upon employees who have not yet learned what to do. While it’s possible to bring value to the organization by getting things done, unfortunately they will never advance. Their professional life will be built on reacting to the plans of others and they will never be in a position to proactively balance their workload or career.

Far worse are employees who have yet to figure it out. They fail to ask the question at all. These employees sit idle until they are worked out of the organization. Others falsely move forward, thinking they know what to do and actually cause damage within the organization.  Once an employee has been given ample time but fails to learn and stops asking questions to be productive they must be separated.  Do not fall in this category!

Becoming a leader doesn’t happen overnight. With wisdom and an eagerness to advance, over time you will learn what to do and will have identified yourself as someone who wants to accomplish things.  This naturally leads to career growth and added responsibilities. You’ll be known as a person who can be trusted to get things done.

Now, as for what I told my associate mentioned earlier? When they asked “What do you want me to do?” I responded with, “You know what to do, and I know what to do.  I would rather do it or you can do it than answer that question.”  They laughed and pulled off the task without a hitch.

This has been another article in our “From the desk of” series, special content created just for you, from our CEO Brad Eller. Share it as you wish, in the form of a link, or informally. The intent is to help your people align their career goals with the everyday needs of the organization, creating value.

Although this is the first in our leadership series, you can enjoy more articles in our blog:

Click Here


Leadership Change Ushers in Next Wave of Growth

Expanding Design-Build Firm Calls Forth New Leadership

Atlanta-based LEVEL5 is pleased to announce two key leadership moves effective July 31, 2018. Luke Kassler, formerly Chief Operating Officer, is now President of LEVEL5. Mr. Kassler has served as the company’s COO since 2015. Craig Bradley, President of the Special Projects Division, is now Chief Operating Officer.

Brad Eller, Chief Executive Officer stated, “Luke has been instrumental in our business and profit improvement for over 6 years. His business acumen and strong vision will carry LEVEL5, successfully, into the future.”

Mr. Eller continued, “Craig joined our team a few months ago via a merger. I have known and worked with Craig Bradley for over 20 years. Craig’s strength of character will undoubtedly help LEVEL5 achieve our company’s vision and goals today and into the future.”

The leadership changes come on the heels of the company’s recent merger with Raleigh, NC – McKee Building Group. The merger was a key piece in the long-term expansion and growth strategy of the business. Brad Eller will remain CEO, and will provide leadership for the business as well as Luke and Craig.

“LEVEL5 for its first 15 years has focused specifically in serving banks and credit unions through our complete design-build solution”, said Luke Kassler. “We are very proud of our reputation and legacy in the financial industry.  Currently, we are enjoying a surge in growth as we are being sought after for our expertise. However, the Special Projects Division provides us even greater capabilities to grow the business and serve our clients.”

Craig Bradley added, “The reason we brought the two businesses together are the synergies, expertise, and scale of the combined team. The long-term plan is not only to diversify the industries we serve, and do it with excellence. The team we are assembling has great energy and ability to drive results. The future is bright because of the steps we are taking today to position us for tomorrow.”

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