Nicole Monturo | Coaching & Development

Nicole Monturo is an accomplished executive and leadership expert.

Tag: leadership development

Leadership Tips to Up Your Productivity

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On June 3, 2017

In Leadership, Nicole Monturo

Leadership isn’t just about leading your team through the hard times; it’s also about capitalizing on your team’s successes and pushing them to achieve more than they believe possible of themselves. As your team grows together and becomes more comfortable with one another, you want to help them figure out ways that they can all work better in tandem, streamlining processes to help them work ‘smarter not harder.’ Here are a few leadership tips for boosting your team’s — and your own — productivity.

Always be prepared.

  • Arrive at every meeting, gathering, and call fully prepared and ready to go. As a leader, other people are going to be looking to you for answers and guidance, and if your presentation is scattered all over or if you haven’t prepared to answer the questions people might have, you’re going to waste a lot of time trying to gather your thoughts and pull your information together. Make sure that you’re well-prepared so that you can help your team become well-prepared as well.

Stay organized.

  • For the same reason you want to be prepared, you want to make sure everything you need is organized and ready to go when you need it. You shouldn’t have to be shuffling through papers and rummaging through your desk to find the most important documents for your day. Staying on top of things will leave you more time to do the things that are important, rather than wasting valuable time on pointless tasks.

Start your day early.

  • Ben Franklin once said, “early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise,” and it’s easy to see why this simple formula for success works if you break it down and analyze it. If you’re starting every day by rolling out of bed at the last possible moment, you’re not allotting yourself enough time to fully prepare for the day ahead of you. Want to be truly successful? Start out your day early, like 5:00am early, and use those extra hours to reflect on the day and mentally and physically prepare yourself for what you need to do. The extra time allows you to be prepared and organize yourself so that you can increase your productivity.

What it Looks Like When Leadership Goes Wrong

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On May 31, 2017

In Leadership, Nicole Monturo

I’ve written many times about what it takes to be a great and effective leader, but I’ve never really explored what it looks like when leadership is ineffective or, even worse, just plain bad. Often, it’s difficult to know exactly what’s going wrong so you can fix it; however, by taking a look at what really happens when leadership goes wrong, you can identify it when you see it and help more easily craft a solution to move forward. Here are some of the red flags you may encounter when dealing with poor and ineffective leadership.

Someone’s always playing the blame game.

  • Things are going to go wrong every once in awhile; these things just tend to happen when working with humans and human error. However, the important thing to remember when there is a mishap is that it’s not about who’s at fault but rather what can be done to move forward. When you’re dealing with poor leadership, though, you’ll often see that problems are followed by a department- — or even company- — wide game of ‘who did it?’ If assigning blame is more important in the process of recovering from mistakes than the actual plan to move forward, you’re likely dealing with bad leadership.

Any change is met with resistance.

  • Repeat after me: change is good; change is natural. Change is required to keep a company running smoothly and up-to-date on latest industry happenings and trends. That’s why it’s incredibly difficult to succeed if you have a leader who is reluctant to adopt new policies and changes. Say your entire company has decided to go paperless, but your department head prefers to use paper and doesn’t want to update. It’s going to throw the productivity of the company entirely out of line and waste more time than had the changes just simply been implemented.

There’s a total lack of empathy.

  • You’ll hear people say that it’s important to keep a separation between your work and home life and not let personal matters seep into the workplace. However, there are obvious exceptions to this rule when it comes to matters of death, illness, or other urgent situations that arise; this is why sick time and bereavement time exist. As a leader, you definitely don’t want people to be walking all over you, but you also need to recognize that your team members are human beings with problems that will arise from time to time. Be accommodating with your team and they’ll be more likely to trust you and less likely to abuse the system. If a leader is unable to put his or herself into someone else’s shoes and see from their point of view at least a little, they’re going to fail very quickly when it comes to earning the respect of their team.

There are a lot of flip-flops.

  • I’m not talking about the shoes; I’m talking about people who are indecisive and unable to make a decision and commit to it. In business, there are not the time and resources available for you to keep going back and forth when it comes to difficult decisions. Bad leaders will be unsure if they’ve made the right choice and may change course several times throughout the process, but effective leaders will make the best, educated choice that they’re able and continue forward knowing that they made they best choice they could have, and that making a choice is better than not.

Miscommunication runs rampant.

  • Poor leaders will place very little value on the importance of communicating with their team. They may be the type of leader to give unclear instructions and expect you to figure out the rest. They might be the type that goes absent for long periods of time and is unavailable for guidance or assistance in tumultuous times. It’s also likely that any complaints voiced to these leaders will go in one ear and out the other, causing problems to persist and delaying solutions that will make operations run more smoothly. Someone who places very little importance on communication is someone who, instead of being the leader and the point of cohesion within the group, will serve to exacerbate confusion and frustration.

There’s a huge emphasis on hierarchy.

  • Hierarchy exists for a reason, so people know who to report to and what the chain of command is. That being said, hierarchy is not something that you should use as conversational punctuation or as a reason why someone should do something; poor, ineffective leaders like to play the rank card any chance they get. They’ll consistently put their team down by flaunting their position any chance they get rather than using their knowledge and leadership experience to guide their team along the right path.

There is no sense of autonomy or trust.

  • As a manager, it all falls back on you to make sure that everyone is doing their job and things are running smoothly. However, at a certain point, you need to develop enough trust with your team to believe that they’ll get their work done without hovering over their shoulders. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t check in with your team members to make sure they’re juggling their workload effectively; this just means that you can’t micromanage people and expect them to still perform well.

It can be difficult to tell if leadership is going awry if you’re constantly stuck in the middle of it. By keeping yourself alert and knowing what it looks like when things are falling apart, you can help the team better recover and address the issue before it becomes a passive problem.

How Being a Mom Helps You Be a Better Leader

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On May 21, 2017

In Leadership, Nicole Monturo

Motherhood is often underestimated in today’s society. You are responsible for taking care of another human being, making sure he or she grows up in the best environment with all of the knowledge they need to succeed in life. While people try to minimize the commitment it takes to raise children, they don’t see the everyday battles and obstacles you have to overcome, which not only makes you a better mother but a better person all around. No matter how I look at it, one constant remains true: my experience with motherhood has helped me to be a better leader, and here’s how.

  • I realized no two people are the same.
    • There’s a huge difference between having your first child and your second child. Your first child comes, and you’re brand new at the whole parenting thing so you learn along the way. Then, when your second child comes, you think you’ve got everything down pat and are prepared for whatever life throws your way, but there’s a catch: your second child is an entirely different human being with his or her own temperament, attitude, likes, and dislikes. Your second child may love the things your first child hates and vice versa. It taught me to realize that no two people are the same, so there is no one-size-fits-all approach to leadership; you need to handle each person and their own unique set of problems or concerns individually.
  • I learned how to juggle… a lot.
    • Like being a mom, when you’re a leader in any capacity, you need to be able to multitask and balance a lot of plates at once. As a mom, you need to stay on top of your own life as well as your kids’ lives. If my daughter had ballet and my son had soccer practice after school at two different times, I need to be able to keep everything organized and get everyone where they need to go in a timely manner. Looking back, I can see all of the little ways that handling motherhood has made me a better multitasker, more organized, and more confident in both of my roles.
  • I learned how to tough it out.
    • When you’re a mom, there are no sick days. You can’t call off of parenting because you have a cold or were up all night throwing up. No, you need to remain the fearless leader and take charge of the day. When you’re a leader, you also have people depending on you; you can’t just decide not to show up and expect things to run smoothly. You need to be able to weather the storms with your team, rather than jumping ship.

Why Positive Reinforcement Matters

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On April 7, 2017

In Leadership, Nicole Monturo

Treats, candy, ice cream, pats on the back, and compliments. These rewards probably bring a puppy or child to mind, which are the audiences most commonly affected by positive reinforcement. Not as common, is the concept of rewarding in the workplace. Those holding managerial levels should take note from parents and pet owners, as the benefits of positive reinforcement can move mountains when it comes to employee satisfaction.

Giving praise and even rewarding, when deserving, has the ability to not only make an employe smile but ultimately gives them a sense of self-worth. The Houston Chronicle specifically highlights giving praise in areas previously needing improvement. Such actions allows the employee to realize that any strives they have made in enhancing their work has been recognized. Alleviating any self-doubt presumably creates a healthier work environment for the employee.

In particularly tedious jobs, creating and maintaining morale amongst team members is often difficult to achieve. When they see hard work being praised or rewarded, often times a trickle down effect takes place. Similar to dominos knocking down one another, when one employees receives positive reinforcement, others are likely to follow their lead and take actions they know are appreciated. Specifically when a working environment requires teamwork and reliability from employees, positive reinforcement can become a driving force behind the coexisting nature of the group. Not only can morale become affected but levels of productivity are prone to improvement as well. Good luck finding a boss who isn’t satisfied with higher levels of productivity!

Engaging an employee by opening lines of communication in regards to work performance gives them confidence they may not have previously possessed. With the newly added confidence, an open relationship can come to light between supervisor and employee.

Empowering employees at all levels of the company gives even the most entry level position a voice. There are countless stories of world-renowned innovation coming from the lowest tier of a team, all due to the boss having faith in his employees and allowing their creativity to flow.

As a leader, it is important to remember the hardships it may have taken to get where they are and the support system needed along the way. Positive reinforcement is crucial in maintaining work morale, productivity and innovation. Employees feel more inclined to dedicate their efforts and time to an organization when they feel their work is being recognized and appreciated. The power of positive reinforcement goes a long way for just a little bit of effort.

How To Develop A Leader

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On April 1, 2017

In Leadership, Nicole Monturo

Contrary to the common idea that people are “born leaders,” many who hold leadership roles needed some kind of support prior to being given their role. There may be no secret formula to magically make a person become a strong figurehead of a business or group, however, there are practices best suited to help  develop an individual into a leadership role.

Communications and Networking

Regardless of whether one is leading a company or a sports team, a good  leader must possess excellent communication skills. Having the ability to express a single idea to a large group of people can pose a challenge. A successful leader knows their audience and best practices for effectively communicating the message across the board.

The ability to network is also a key component of what constitutes a strong leader. Having the confidence to approach strangers in any scenario benefits not only the leaders but the group they oversee.

A contributor for Forbes shared their experience attending networking events, stating though boring at times, they ultimately benefit others in the future.When coaching a team member to fill a leadership role, networking remains a fundamental skill to teach.

Experience

The transition of power between one leader to an emerging one can be done in various degrees of success. Ideally, the veteran leader takes the time and energy to support his replacement:

this may include a variety of tasks and training to make sure they are adequately equipped to properly fill the role.

Here, experience comes into play. By providing them with a vast amount of experiences in many different areas as gives the trainee the best chance to succeed. Alongside experience, having knowledge of the ins and outs of the entire organization also benefits a new leader, as they are able to sufficiently assist in all areas required.

A great deal of knowledge regarding leadership can arise from participating in training sessions. There is a large assortment of training styles from online sessions to exercises that can take place right in the office. Some companies provide an in-house training course, while other outsource and send team members to an off-site assembly. The Muse provides a few examples of training courses to participate in during free time. Consequently, being proactive and completing such courses shows a superior a possession of motivation and determination. Both are  examples of great leadership qualities.

Challenges

As any supervisor in any field would share, overseeing a group of people likely presents challenges on a regular basis. Knowing how and when to handle obstacles is an important skill a leader should possess. As a current leader, looking for ways to challenge future leaders is a great way to put their potential to the test. Creating intricate problem-solving scenarios and only assisting when absolutely necessary creates a great challenge. Allowing an up and coming leader to oversee and complete a project from start to finish gives them the motivation to prove their competence.

Being a natural leader is definitely not a trait all people are born with, and becoming a great leader takes effort. Having the ability to communicate effectively and network elegantly are strong stepping stones on the path to success. Paired with Not only does a great deal of experience help to prepare upcoming leaders, but facing them with challenges along the way ensures building of confidence and readiness to take on a leadership role.

4 Best Blogs on Leadership

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On March 25, 2017

In Leadership, Nicole Monturo

The internet is a wonderful thing. It provides us with boundless resources on any topic you can conceive all available with the press of a finger. However, this is just as much a curse as it is a blessing, because with boundless information comes the burden of sifting through irrelevant, poorly written, and dishonest content until you find what you’re looking for. That’s why I’d like to make your lives (a little bit) easier by sharing a few of my favorite blogs that cover the topic of leadership. While this is only one subject and there are millions out there for which I cannot offer any assistance, leadership is something about which I am very passionate and well-informed. If you are interested in reading more about leadership, check out a few of the blogs on leadership that I regularly like to read!

  • Great Leadership
    • If you’re looking for a go-to resource for information and opinions regarding leadership and management, Great Leadership is your answer. The blog was created by leadership development expert Dan McCarthy who sought to share his 20+ years’ worth of knowledge with other, aspiring leaders. For the past two years, he has earned the honor of being named among the Top 10 Digital Influencers in Leadership. His expertise makes for one informative read.
  • Michael Hyatt
  • Leadership Now
    • At Leadership Now, they’re seeking to change the narrative that “leaders” are people we only see in professional settings to one where leadership in all its forms is recognized and celebrated. The site is run by Michael McKinney, who wants to tear down the notion that the only people who can lead are figures of authority, and his blog offers tips on how to look outside the context of yourself and lead those around you.
  • Extreme Leadership
nicole monturo twitter

Leadership Twitter Accounts to Follow

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On February 15, 2017

In Leadership, Nicole Monturo

With the internet being the wealth of information that it is, it can sometimes be hard to even know where to start looking for things. If you simply search for “leadership advice,” you’re going to be greeted with a barrage of ‘how-tos’ and advice from people ranging from well-seasoned professional executives to high school students. So how do you know where to find timely, knowledgeable resources that will give you the answers that you need? Well, many people use Twitter.

Since I’m also a huge foodie on top of my day job, I regularly tweet about primarily recipes I’ve tried or foods that look particularly yummy. However, as much as I turn to Twitter for food inspiration, I also use it as my source of daily inspiration and resource for all things leadership. While I follow a lot of accounts, there are a few leadership Twitter accounts that I’ve found to be particularly helpful and insightful. Here are my favorite leadership accounts to follow.

If you’re looking for prime leadership advice from all the top experts in the field, the Forbes Leadership Twitter account is one for you. Their bio boasts “Insights on leadership in every aspect of business and life for executives, aspiring leaders, and everyone else from Forbes,” and they live up to their words. Their most recent tweets include tips on dressing like a leader, the importance of connecting as a team, and how to navigate company culture, all important things to consider and be aware of as a leader.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter is a Harvard Business School professor, so it’s not surprising that she re-tweets the Harvard Business Review regularly, but her curated tweets are a wealth of information on being a leader and inspiring change in others. She’s also the author of the book MOVE: Putting America’s Infrastructure Back in the Lead.

Bill George tweets often on the importance of collaboration and teamwork in business. He is a Senior Fellow at Harvard Business School and previously served as the CEO of Medtronic, so he’s got many years of leadership under his belt. George is also a bestselling leadership author; his book, the wildly popular “True North,” features interviews with over 100 other leaders on the merits of “authentic leadership” and has earned a place on the Warren Bennis Books Series.

U.S. Senator Cory Booker from the great state of New Jersey tweets a lot about politics – obviously – but it’s his leadership insights and words on finding the best in one another that really make his account worth following. He’s a proponent for the underdog and advocates for equality and positive change.

 

nicole monturo kindergarten

Leadership Lessons You Learned in Kindergarten

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On February 8, 2017

In Leadership, Nicole Monturo

Becoming a leader of any form takes practice, patience, skill, insight, and time. It’s not something that happens overnight. While it does take a lot of specialization to become an effectual leader, a lot of the fundamental ideals and principles taught are not new concepts; many of us have been receiving little lessons in leadership from the time we were old enough to go to school. Although we were not being told explicitly that what we were learning were leadership based, these more or less ‘common sense’ lessons we’re taught at a young age lay the groundwork for some important leadership ideologies. While we may not have become experts at the time, here are a few of the leadership lessons that you learn as early as kindergarten.

  • When you mess up, you say sorry.

When a child makes a mess or breaks something that belongs to someone else, they’re taught to own up to their failure and say that they’re sorry. When it comes to being a leader, by this point you’ve likely realized that human beings, yourself included, aren’t perfect. Unfortunately, there’s no leadership tip that tells you how to be perfect, so the best that you can do is take ownership of your errors and apologize for any resulting problems.

  • Sharing is caring

One thing that effective leaders know is the importance of helping others, and this simple human kindness is one we’re taught as children. Leaders must demonstrate sharing in several different ways. First, most leaders are looked to as sources of knowledge or information. To effectively lead those looking to you for guidance, you need to share the wisdom and lessons you’ve learned with them. The second type of sharing is more external: as a leader when someone on your team does a particularly good job or finally overcomes a hurdle, it’s your job to share in their excitement, share their good news with the rest of the team, and have them share particular insights about what made them successful. Your job as a leader is to call forth the best in your team and help them actualize their potential. This includes encouraging them during moments when they excell.

  • Slow and steady

Much like the classic fable taught to children about the tortoise and the hare, in life most things cannot be rushed. Children are taught the importance of hard, consistent work over rushing through tasks, and this lesson carries importance through life. Good things take time, and if you try to rush them, your work at the end won’t be your best. When planning a project that will require input and assistance from multiple people, take the time to make sure that everyone fully understands his or her responsibilities. While some people will be chomping at the bit to get started, it’s more important to make sure everyone is up to speed than to get a speedy start.

nicole monturo leadership

How to Develop Leadership Within Your Company

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On December 15, 2016

In Leadership, Nicole Monturo

If you manage employees, you probably noticed an innate blaze, that spark of leadership jump to life in at least a few of them. You’ve seen who takes charge when presented with an unfamiliar situation, and who successfully improvises when existing guidelines are too ambiguous to fully apply. You’ve witnessed your people show skill in visualizing goals and developing comprehensive strategies, and you know they have no trouble examining ideas from every relevant angle.

I’ve written before on important leadership lessons managers might take to heart if they want to see their business bloom. One essential tactic all managers would do well to master is how to multiply in number; how to create more of their kind. Good managers have a responsibility to guide great employees into the experience and techniques needed to succeed in a leadership position.

Facilitating your workers’ journey from greenhorn to leader can be daunting; it requires a level of willingness and mutual trust that takes time to develop. Helping employees come into their potential is far from impossible, however, and this list of three major strategies to keep in mind when developing your team from hard workers to capable leaders is sure to ease the learning process for all involved.

Foster employees’ networking skills 

  • Leaders have to be comfortable speaking and sharing ideas with strangers on a regular basis. Offering opportunities for networking within your own company allows for development of that effortless finesse for communication all great leaders possess, and bringing employees along to networking events will build them a formidable list of industry contacts.

Keep a steady flow of feedback

  • Employees will never learn to identify and correct missteps if they are never told when they are misstepping. Criticism is never easy, especially when it has to come from you, but it is essential. And if your leaders-in-training have what it takes, they will realize the value in having a forum where concerns from both parties can be voiced and addressed.

Don’t Hold Hands 

  • We don’t grow from being constantly shielded. In the thick of struggle is where the capable evolve and succeed, and failure is just another opportunity to discover what went wrong. The fundamentals of growth hold just as true in a professional setting as anywhere else. Do your employees a favor, and tear off those training wheels.

Build employees’ ownership mentality 

  • Any amount of leadership training will mean nothing if a trainee doesn’t feel individually powerful enough to act like a leader. Allowing prospective leaders to handle decisions and giving them a bit more authority over business affairs demonstrates your faith in them, and reinforces their faith in you as a mentor.

What this all boils down to is rather simple: just be considerate of your employees’ positions. Think of how it was for you, when you were mastering the managerial ropes; think of what your teacher(s) did well, and how they could’ve improved. Believe in yourself: you have the knowledge and the experience needed to foster great leaders, now all you need is time.

nicole monturo leadership

Five Leadership Lessons to Help Your Business Boom

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On November 16, 2016

In Leadership, Nicole Monturo

Leadership is not only a skill, it’s an art. It takes practice, patience and perseverance. If you’ve committed to working hard and realized what it takes to be a leader, you will become a great one. Businesses need good leaders in order to ensure the success and growth of the business. Successful leaders are able to motivate and inspire others to make a positive impact through sharing ideas and inspiration. Here are the top five lessons I’ve learned about leading.

  • Team Work

The biggest factor that I stress within the workplace is teamwork. Many people don’t realize that teamwork is essential in a successful business. A lot of leaders tend to get too caught up in their work, and forget that they have a team of people who are focused on the same goals and objectives as you are. A true leader never forgets about their team mates. A leader tends to refer their projects as “we” and not “I”. Establishing a team oriented community will allow members to complete their tasks in their roles, overall establishing a relationship and trust.

  • Encouragement

As Jack Welch once said, “ Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” Leadership is like being a mentor within your team. It is important to encourage others within the workplace to establish a relationship in which your team members will learn and grow by speaking their minds. Through encouragement, members are able to learn better through establishing a sense of self-esteem and confidence when they know that they have someone who supports them.

  • Investing In Yourself (and Others)

The most important thing you must do is to constantly invest in yourself, so that you can invest in others. As leaders, we are always learning and growing. Education never ends, therefore it is essential to find a way to invest in yourself. Anything that allows you to learn and practice new things is an investment. Investing in yourself will allow you to invest in those around you. Part of the leadership role is to teach others and help them grow. You’ll be able to pass on information that will be resourceful to others and create an overall community of thriving people.

  • Trust

Trust is an important matter that goes both ways. As a leader, you should trust your members to do their work and come to you with any challenges or problems, but those around you should trust you as well. You can gain others’ trust by always keeping your word and being a transparent person. You will encourage others by doing the same and creating an overall establishment of trust that will lead to success.

  • Listening

Listening is a huge aspect when it comes to establishing a relationship made of trust. People can hear you talk all day, but it’s important to give them a chance to speak their minds that are full with ideas. Listening can also benefit you to think of new ideas and help solve problems. It also shows your that you care. Listening is an essential role that comes with the responsibilities of leadership.

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