How do you write a New Year’s resolution? Making a Resolution and Sticking to IT (No Really?)

Three tricks for achieving your New Year’s resolution withbalanced accountability

 

By Hernani Alves:  As seen in Professional Car Wash Magazine

Setting a goal for the New Year may feel like manifesting the new you. Who is not trying to get promoted, eat healthier, spend more quality time with family and travel more? What makes us think that a magical switch goes off on Jan. 1st that will allow us to change? The expectation is far-fetched, and yet over 40% of Americans partake.

Don’t get me wrong — there is no shame in trying to change for the better, but we are failing to make it work. It can be demoralizing. It is no wonder that New Year’s resolutions have an 80% failure rate. It is time to change this and make it an 80% success rate.

Balanced accountability

New Year’s resolutions have become ambitions without a plan. “Save money,” “get in shape” and “travel” were all top resolutions set by Americans in 2018. But what do those aspirations look like? The statements in themselves do not offer a starting place.

To achieve something, you need to have a path towards that goal. Like a map to your destination, you must be able to see where you are going — street names, landmarks and mile markers. In goal setting, your map is “balanced accountability.”

Balanced accountability is accountability that is fair and balanced. It uses clear expectations and firm rules weighed with praise and rewards. It guides you to where you want to go and keeps you motivated to continue. It is practiced by using what I call the 3Ps.

The 3Ps

I am proud to say that for the last three years, every member of my family has kept their New Year’s resolutions. We have done so with the 3Ps of accountability.

 Personal accountability

To keep a resolution, it is crucial to hold yourself accountable. I struggled with this for years, but now I know exactly what this means and how to do it. Share your aspirations with friends and family. Ask for help, and be open about your successes and struggles. Give yourself the personal accountability that you need.

Positive accountability

How do you eat an elephant? One small bite at a time, and positivity is essential to staying driven. You need to celebrate the small accomplishments along the way to reaching your goal. Tell others when you have a win, and bring them in on your journey. Reward yourself.

Performance accountability

This is the traditional practice of “holding yourself accountable.” But it uses coaching, not penalizing. This is your starting point for mapping out the path to your objective.

Mapping out a resolution

In December 2018, my family wanted me to give blood as a way to help our community during the holidays. My blood type (O-) is always in demand, so my family insisted that I take action and help others. As much as I wanted to help out, I was apprehensive. I have never been good at giving blood — meaning I pass out. Even so, I agreed to try.

The blood drive was packed. It was great, and there were so many people there ready and willing to give. When the facilitators of the drive noticed my blood type, they pulled out the VIP treatment. I was moved to the front of the line, and they only took about three minutes to prepare for my blood draw. On the first attempt, they missed the vein, and I started to get woozy — right on cue. They had to stop the process and send me home as a “pre-fainter.” At that moment, I resolved that in 2019, I was going to do something I had never done before: donate blood at least five times.

The sentiment was great but a little unclear. What did I want? To give blood once that year, no matter what? To teach myself how to give blood without passing out? To give blood every other month? I was not going to reach my goal without knowing what it was. How could I? Even if I found myself on a path, what was the likelihood of success if I did not know where that path lead?

This is not a new question or concept. In 1979, interviewers asked new graduates from Harvard’s MBA Program, “Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?” Only 3% had clear, written goals and plans. Ten years later, they interviewed the same graduates and found that the 3% with clear goals made, on average, 10 times more than the other 97%.

I needed to organize my plan, and I did so by using SMART goals.

SMART goals are the following targets for reaching your aim:

• Specific: Succinctly described
• Measurable:Attached to numbers
• Achievable: Realistic
• Relevant: Focused on a result
• Time-bound: Attached to a specific deadline.

Now I had somewhere to go. I rewrote my resolution: To give blood five times within 2019, or once every 10 weeks until I reached five. Science only allows me to donate blood every eight weeks.

Here, we have all of the SMART goals represented:

• To give blood (specific, relevant)
• Five times (measurable)
• Within 2019 (achievable)
• Twice every 20 weeks until I reach five (time-bound).

By mapping out a plan, I was able to visualize exactly what it would look like to realize my ambition. By organizing the resolution into quarterly parts, I gave myself plenty of time to reach my goal. Remember, a New Year’s resolution is something you want to achieve throughout the year, not in January. Do not set yourself up for defeat with a haste-focused mentality. You have 12 whole months to work with. Remind yourself it is not a sprint; it is a marathon, and that is how you will create healthy habits.

How to stick to it (no, really?)

Now that you know what targets to hit, you need to know what you are getting into. Say, for example, you want to quit smoking. You have to decide what method you are going to use, what you can expect and how to combat cravings.

For my resolution, I needed to figure out how to stop passing out. I took some time to read about why people pass out when giving blood and what I could do to combat it. I learned to stay hydrated, drink more water on donation days, get enough sleep, etc.

When it was time to meet my first quarterly goal, I practiced what I had learned and hoped it would work. The result? I stayed conscious the whole time. Afterward, I celebrated my win with a Double-Double Hamburger with Animal Fries at In-and-Out Burger.

I am proud to say that in 2019, I kept my resolution to give blood at least five times. All it took was a little bit of planning and visualization.

As you settle into 2020, consider a New Year’s resolution that you have always wanted to achieve. What was holding you back? Did it have a metric? Could you measure your success through SMART goals? It is never too late to try again. After all, you have an entire year to work with. No one ever reaches their aspirations easily or without a struggle. But, by using balanced accountability and the 3Ps, you will be able to set yourself up for success instead of failure.

Whether you’re applying a New Year’s resolution for your personal life or your business, it’s always important to plan, prepare and follow through. Like Abraham Lincoln said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” With a clear vision of your future, you will know exactly what steps to take to get there. Happy New Year, and enjoy the journey.

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About the Author:

Hernani Alves is an Amazon best selling author, international speaker, and consultant with over twenty years of business experience as a Sales Executive for a $3 Billion Company. He’s the founder of Balanced IQ, a company that helps leaders build world-class teams focused on getting sustainable results in varying economic climates.

In his book, Balanced Accountability: Three Leadership Secrets to Win Hearts and Maximize Performance, Alves delivers a newfound clarity on the case for accountability and the steps organizations, and individuals need to take to unleash their potential. He reveals the frame work needed to improve accountability in the workplace to win hearts and maximize performance.

 To connect with Alves, visit his Website, LinkedIn Profile, Facebook or Amazon

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Link:  https://www.carwash.com/making-resolution-sticking-it

What give back means? Giving Back to Honor Your Hard Work

Giving Back to Honor Your Hard Work

People want to be part of something bigger than themselves

During the holidays (and beyond), it’s important that we hold ourselves and each other accountable for the wellbeing of our communities. It’s not just good for business; it’s the human thing to do.  Over the past year, giving back has increased by 4.1% – making this the 6th consecutive year of growth. With the prevalence of minute-to-minute news, it’s unsurprising that altruism is on the rise. People generally want to respond to the hardships of others with generosity.  If your company is lacking a philanthropic program, now is the time to get one started. There are always reasons not to act, but you absolutely have the money, time, and/or services to spare.  Even if you can’t give financially, there are plenty of ways to show support that won’t affect productivity or the bottom line. For Dale Carlsen, a great mentor of mine and many others, his first contribution was a $100 mattress to a group of underprivileged children. His donation was small, but over time he was able to turn that humble offering into a fully functioning foundation. Dale is now the CEO of Ticket to Dream Foundation for which has provided $43 million worth of essential items for foster youth to go to school with confidence.  This was an act that strengthened the youth for whom he was advocating and the culture of his business among employees and clients. People want to be part of something bigger than themselves.   Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” As a business owner, consider those words and ask yourself, “what kind of life do I want to make?”. For yourself, for your team, and for the world you live in. It’s in your hands. Balanced IQ leadership is partnered with Ticket to Dream Foundation.  If you would like to learn more read Chapter 18 from Balanced Accountability here:  LINK

This year, my family will be donating our time at the Placer Food Bank to prepare and deliver holiday food baskets to people in need.  Email me as I would love to get some other great ideas.  Link:  10 Ways to Give Back as a Family This Holiday Season

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About the Author:

Hernani Alves is an Amazon best selling author, international speaker, and consultant with over twenty years of business experience as a Sales Executive for a $3 Billion Company. He’s the founder of Balanced IQ, a company that helps leaders build world-class teams focused on getting sustainable results in varying economic climates.

In his book, Balanced Accountability: Three Leadership Secrets to Win Hearts and Maximize Performance, Alves delivers a newfound clarity on the case for accountability and the steps organizations, and individuals need to take to unleash their potential. He reveals the frame work needed to improve accountability in the workplace to win hearts and maximize performance.

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To connect with Alves, visit his Website, LinkedIn Profile, Facebook or Amazon

How to Increase Accountability in the Workplace? Carrot and Stick Does Not Work

Carrot and the Stick Does Not Work

Boost performance and morale with words of affirmation over presents

Your employees don’t care about company gifts as much as you think they do. According to a recent Snappy survey of over 100,000 employees, only 6% noted gifts as their preferred token of appreciation from employers. Without a history of Balanced Accountability or effective leadership, a present for the holidays can be like the “carrot and the stick”: a false and counterproductive motivator.Many years ago, farmers would wake up early to hitch their mules to the plow. They would grab a carrot from their garden and tie it to a stick, using the contraption to get the mule to move. It worked for a little while, but the animal would get wise. Once it realized that it was never going to get that carrot, it would shut down, leaving their farmer in a bind. If you dangle promises of recognition in the faces of your staff, they will eventually become disengaged and leave when you don’t deliver. This is an old and ineffective way to manage. It’s time to embrace a new way to get long term results, win hearts, and maximize potential with Balanced Accountability. The Best Gift You Can GiveYear-end perks are important but done poorly, and you could end up sending the wrong message. An impersonal, poorly planned, or cheap offering can make your employees feel undervalued. You don’t need to spend an exorbitant amount of money to show your appreciation. But you do need to be considerate, and not just once a year. The same Snappy survey found that:• 46% of employees prefer words of affirmation over presents• 26% of employees prefer quality time with a supervisor or a coworker• 22% of employees value receiving help from supervisors or colleagues on a projectEveryone wants to feel valued in their profession. Get started by showing your employees a bit of love this season. Some well thought out gifts, respect, and kindness should do the trick to convey how much they mean to you.

Great Gift – Handwritten Card I recently received a handwritten thank you card in the mail. Keep in mind what I usually receive junk mail and bills in my mailbox. So anytime I get a handwritten card, it always blows me away. Handwritten notes always elevate the message so much more than text or email.The note came in a beautiful card from Lovepop. I’ve officially thrown away my boring ones and upgrade to these amazing cards.Link to LovePop Cards

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About the Author:

Hernani Alves is an entrepreneur, author, international speaker, and executive consultant with over twenty years of business experience as a Sales Executive for a $3 Billion Company. He’s the founder of Balanced IQ, a company that helps leaders build world-class teams focused on getting sustainable results in varying economic climates.

In his book, Balanced Accountability: Three Leadership Secrets to Win Hearts and Maximize Performance, Alves delivers a newfound clarity on the case for accountability and the steps organizations, and individuals need to take to unleash their potential. He reveals the frame work needed to improve accountability in the workplace to win hearts and maximize performance.

To connect with Alves, please visit his LinkedIn Profile, Facebook or Amazon Author’s Page

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What is Accountability? Accountability = Love

Published in HR.com by Hernani Alves

How to Transform into a Modern Leader That Others Will Love to Follow

Love is the foundation of accountability. Don’t worry, that statement seemed vague to me too at first. A good example of this came from Vince Lombardi, former Green Bay Packers coach, and Super Bowl trophy namesake. Lombardi once said, “Love is loyalty, love is teamwork, love respects the dignity of the individual.”. What Lombardi understood was that humans, even tough football players, desire to love and be loved. The result of his leadership was five NFL Championships including wins in Super Bowls one and two. I think it’s safe to say he was on to something.

The Human Side of HR

An incredible Human Resources (HR) executive named Tracy Jackson, Chief Human Resource Officer, SAFE Credit Union, once told me that we need to focus on the human side of HR. This piece of advice put me on the path to viewing accountability as the ultimate act of love for my employees. That concept may make you uncomfortable, but it stems from a basic human need to be loved. A need that doesn’t go away just because we’ve entered the workplace.

Prioritizing accountability is an act that inspires people to reach for their own victories before yours. That’s a kind of motivation you just can’t beat. It’s trusting, it’s empowering, and most importantly, it’s loving.

The Three Ps

I spent years honing in on accountability techniques that really work, and I broke them down into three elements: Personal, Positive, and Performance, or The 3Ps. Along with several human resource professionals, I challenged myself, tested the process, and saw significant improvements in my work performance. Here is what I learned:

P1: Personal Accountability

This is the hardest but most important aspect of the program. As leaders, we must first and foremost hold ourselves accountable. Believe it or not, your employees want to do what you do. Mimicry is human nature, it’s how we learn to function. You have to be willing to lead by example with self-awareness and humility. Seek and listen to feedback on your own work, and focus on finding solutions to challenges instead of playing the victim. Your behavior sets the precedence for the rest of the team.

P2: Positive Accountability

Early on in my career, my team was setting sales records, winning awards, and getting large bonus checks. However, I was told that no one enjoyed working with me; that I was a micromanager. This awarded me the worst nickname you can ever get as a leader (which I reveal in my book).

Positivity might sound “soft”, but it’s essential to getting the results you want. Positivity is what led to my staff presenting me with a Best Leader Award — my most cherished accolade. It’s is how good managers become great leaders. Plus, it’s a heck of a lot more enjoyable than being a Negative Nelly.

Research tells us negativity is contagious, a fact that can be detrimental in the workplace if your attitude is sour. The good news is that positivity is also contagious, and easy to create through your company’s language and actions. We must create positive experiences at work. Keep in mind though; this isn’t about sugar-coating the issues. It’s about taking action to solve a problem. There are tried and true steps that you can take to utilize positive accountability in my book, Balanced Accountability: Three Leadership Secrets To Win Hearts And Maximize Performance. These will help you reduce turnover, increase profitability, and make work a much more enjoyable place to be.

P3: Performance Accountability

The third P is for Performance Accountability. This is more aligned with that more basic understanding of accountability. You know, when you think of hauling someone up for their actions? However, that practice is just begging for resistance and resentment towards your leadership. You can hold someone accountable without resorting to shame or punishment.

Performance Accountability gives you the option to coach your staff to those wins which will, in turn, contribute to the success of your organization as a whole.  Vince Lombardi understood better than anyone how valuable it is to improve team-wide and individual performances to get those wins. You want to boost the confidence of your employees and inspire them to do their best for their own success. When they do that, your success as their leader will follow.

Accountability is a vast concept, but not one that’s hard to figure out. It’s just got to be rooted in love. Love for your business, love for your family, love for the greater good, etc..

I encourage you to get uncomfortable and practice sitting in your feelings of love and gratitude. It will make approaching The 3Ps easier if your motivation is coming from a good and inspiring place. Our need for love is so universal, and the fact that we’re bottling that up at work is making it harder to connect with and motivate each other. It’s imperative that you show your employees that you genuinely care about their success and that the accountability you ask for is not an act of retribution, but a means to set them up for prosperity.

Get Your Free Checklist to Creating Peer-to-Peer Accountability

About the Author:

Hernani Alves is an entrepreneur, author, international speaker, and executive consultant with over twenty years of business experience as a Sales Executive for a $3 Billion Company. He’s the founder of Balanced IQ, a company that helps leaders build world-class teams focused on getting sustainable results in varying economic climates.

In his book, Balanced Accountability: Three Leadership Secrets to Win Hearts and Maximize Performance, Alves delivers a newfound clarity on the case for accountability and the steps organizations, and individuals need to take to unleash their potential. He reveals the frame work needed to improve accountability in the workplace to win hearts and maximize performance.

To connect with Alves, please visit his LinkedIn Profile, Facebook or Amazon Author’s Page

Get Your Free Checklist to Creating Peer-to-Peer Accountability

How Do I Give Feedback At Work? Feedback Is A Gift: Seek and Provide It

Published in ProjectManagement.com in Hot Topics for Communication by Hernani Alves

I’m a firm believer that feedback is a gift. When I work with supervisors, it’s usually because they’ve dug themselves into a hole. They keep digging and digging as an attempt to get help.

Instead, they need to put down the shovel and grab the ladder.  That ladder is S.I.P. feedback. It’s the best place to start when you have nowhere else to go and find yourself in a critical spot. S.I.P. is the ultimate offering and one that, when utilized properly, will propel your team to victory.

But is there really a secret to doing this effectively? Oh yes. In my experience, the most successful leaders do these three things when giving feedback.

1. Seek Feedback

First and foremost, they seek their own feedback. As a supervisor, you are responsible for your team’s success, which is why you need to start with improving your skills before moving on to theirs. By asking for an assessment of your performance, you’ll be able to communicate with your employees more effectively and, most importantly, demonstrate that accountability is a two-way street.

You’ll need to go into this knowing that the results will likely be tough to hear. Early in my career, I worked my way up to becoming one of the top sales managers in my company, but as a leader, I was struggling. My direct manager, Matt, gave it to me straight: “You’re outstanding and one of the best salespeople we have.”, he said. “However, no one wants to work with you.” Ouch. As difficult as it was for me to hear, that piece of feedback was one of the biggest gifts I’ve ever received in my career. It pushed me to take action and to seek a better way to manage.

When you ask your employees for feedback, don’t argue, don’t defend. Listen, and use what they’re saying as a means to improve. What they’re giving you is a gift that you can use to move yourself and your team forward.  You’ll be shocked to hear after this; your team will be asking for their feedback as well.

2.  Increase Positive Feedback

Employees need to hear what they’re doing well. Not all feedback can be positive, but it’s vital to highlight the wins over the losses. It can be easy to focus on shortcomings when giving feedback, but pessimism can be detrimental in the workplace. That doesn’t mean you can’t suggest areas to improve, but who aspires for greatness when it feels fruitless anyway? There’s a balance. Luckily, a negative work atmosphere can be turned around, and the easiest way to do that is with positivity.

According to the Harvard Business Review “A large and growing body of research on positive organizational psychology demonstrates that… a positive environment will lead to dramatic benefits for employers, employees, and the bottom line.”. How does this translate to effective feedback? Simple: catch people doing things right.  Celebrate those wins and magnify the positives. Let your individual employees know how much you value their contribution. This not only inspires them to build on their strengths, but it allows them to feel autonomy and ownership in the company. They’ll want to see the team as a whole prosper, and your turnover will go down.

3.  Provide Healthy Feedback

Giving a positive report is vital – it sets you up to provide healthy feedback. No one wants to hear feedback for feedback’s sake. This process should be intentional with the ultimate goal of seeing improvement. Will it be easy for you or the employee? No way, but it will be worth it.

Consider when you join a gym. Is your trainer your favorite person when they’re pushing you to run one more mile or do one more push up? Probably not. However, they know that the desired result of your fitness journey is not only about transforming your body. It’s about living life to its fullest. Being able to run with your kids, enjoying your clothes, feeling stronger and doing what you want to do.

As a leader, we are tasked to train our employees in a similar way. To hold them accountable, and provide motivation especially when it’s tough so that they can succeed. This is what I consider healthy feedback. It’s intentional and asks both parties to push through difficulties as a means for growth.

Can you utilize feedback without pushing away your team? Absolutely! Remember that you’re giving them a gift. It may not be a gift that they particularly want, but it’s for the greater good. If you focus on the positive and are deliberate with your words, you won’t be crushing their soul with critique; you’ll be providing them with feedback to unleash their fullest potential.  Ready, set, go!

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About the Author:

Hernani Alves is an entrepreneur, author, international speaker, and executive consultant with over twenty years of business experience as a Sales Executive for a $3 Billion Company. He’s the founder of Balanced IQ, a company that helps leaders build world-class teams focused on getting sustainable results in varying economic climates.

In his book, Balanced Accountability: Three Leadership Secrets to Win Hearts and Maximize Performance, Alves delivers a newfound clarity on the case for accountability and the steps organizations, and individuals need to take to unleash their potential. He reveals the frame work needed to improve accountability in the workplace to win hearts and maximize performance.

To connect with Alves, please visit his LinkedIn Profile, Facebook Page or Amazon Author’s Page

Get Your Free Checklist to Creating Peer-to-Peer Accountability

Why is Accountability Important in the Workplace? Accountable Leadership

Why is Accountability Important in the Workplace? Accountable Leadership.  As a leader, how should one think of the concept of accountability?  For most accountability is something that happens when things go wrong.  The notion of taking ownership of one’s mistakes.  But Hernani Alves has a different point of view.  

By Forward, a publication of the Financial Managers Society    FMSinc.org | 800-ASK-4

“If you have high turnover on your team, or your employees are regularly not hitting their goals, or just aren’t engaged, it’s because you’re not harnessing the power of effective accountability in your leadership,” Alves, an author and management expert, explains.

“It really is the crux of workplace problems, both big and small.” Alves spent over twenty years as an executive at a $3-billlion company and now works as a consultant with major clients. His passion is spreading the word about balanced accountability – and how it can help transform organizations.

Alves spent over twenty years as an executive at a $3-billlion company and now works as a consultant with major clients. His passion is spreading the word about balanced accountability – and how it can help transform organizations.

“When people think about accountability, they think about punishment,” he says. “They think about it as motivating with a stick instead of a carrot. That’s why I talk about balanced accountability, because on one side you can be too positive and too permissive and not a strong leader, and on the other you can be a micromanager and a harsh leader.”

For Alves, the journey toward balanced accountability began at the latter extreme. When he was first promoted to management, he micromanaged his team – and got positive results doing so.

“My team was getting bonuses, we were getting awards – we were on top of the world,” he recalls. “But my manager told me that my team didn’t want to work with me anymore.”

Surprised and hurt, Alves began making changes that eventually informed his entire approach toward leadership with a strategy he calls the Three P’s of Accountability.

PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY

The first step Alves asks leaders to take is one of personal accountability.

“Personal accountability is the most important and challenging aspect of this program. It’s important because, although it may not always feel like it, your employees want to follow you. Just as your kid will mimic you, employees will copy you too. It’s just human nature.”

Personal accountability necessitates holding ourselves as leaders to a high standard. At its core, it’s simply leading by example. However, to take full personal accountability requires a honed sense of self-awareness.

“We have to be hard and honest with ourselves,” Alves says. “We discover how to lead by changing how we think and act.”

Leaders who take personal accountability seriously and have the self-awareness to know when they’ve made a mistake are leaders employees can trust. For example, demanding that employees arrive on time then personally showing up late every day is a surefire way to sow discord and resentment. Only by being honest with oneself and acting as an example to one’s team can a leader find true success.

POSITIVE ACCOUNTABILITY

Positivity is a key element of strong leadership, but it’s one that many leaders shy away from. After all, it sounds a little fluffy.

“Positivity may seem like a soft subject, but it’s essential to improving your bottom line and getting the results you want,” Alves says. “Research tells us negativity is contagious and can have a detrimental effect on the workplace.”

Positivity reduces stress and creates a more engaging atmosphere, but it’s not easy to stay cheerful when the stresses of the industry seem overwhelming. Even so, positive accountability isn’t about sugar-coating a bad situation.

“When you really embrace balanced accountability, it creates a culture where even when you’re not there, your employees are holding themselves accountable.”

“You owe it to your employees to tell them what they need to know, even when it’s not what they want to hear,” Alves explains. “It’s possible to do this and be positive at the same time, even if the message itself isn’t great. Whatever is appropriate to share, you should share honestly.”

But the most important party of positive accountability isn’t cheerful words – it’s affirming actions. Positive accountability means rewarding your team for their successes just as you would hold them accountable for their mistakes.

“Sometimes these things seem unnatural to leaders who aren’t used to them, but they’re really powerful. Praising a team member in front of others or handing out thank you notes for specific actions – these are really effective tactics that cost nothing but a few minutes of your time.”

PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY

Holding employees responsible for meeting their performance goals is familiar to most leaders, but many do not couple discipline or performance reviews with coaching sessions.

“After leading more than five-thousand people, I’ve seen many seemingly obvious expectations become issues because they were not explicitly laid out,” Alves says. “When you hold someone accountable for their performance, don’t be afraid to communicate your expectations clearly. Employees actually love this. Even when conversations around this are difficult, employees still appreciate them.”

Sometimes when employees exhibit problem behaviors – such as tardiness, missed deadlines or poor communication skills – it’s baggage from a former workplace. All workers come from previous experiences that have created their own personal expectations. Leaders who beat around the bush rather than addressing these types of problems head-on are doing those employees a disservice.

“Once you embrace performance accountability, you’ll be able to set expectations from a new recruit’s first moments, and be confident in dealing with unexpected or even unforgivable behavior,” Alves says. “When you set expectations, you’re not just covering your butt and providing a paper trail for disciplinary actions further down the line. You’re engaging your employees and raising the standard of their work.”

PRIORITIZING ACCOUNTABILITY
Implementing these three principles of accountability may seem less important than filling key positions or managing major risk factors, but Alves argues that embracing them can actually help you with those pressing problems.

“I know it can feel overwhelming, particularly if your life is busy with challenging work situations,” he says. “High turnover, mediocre performance and poorly engaged employees might tempt you to shelve these ideas until things are quieter, but I actually believe that the Three Ps are what will get you to that quieter, more productive, less stressful place.”

Taking balanced accountability seriously means holding oneself and one’s employees to a higher standard, but using positivity and openness to do so.

“Before exploring accountability, I knew I needed a new approach to get the best from my employees,” Alves says. “When you really embrace balanced accountability, it creates a culture where even when you’re not there, your employees are holding themselves accountable.”

Hernani Alves’ book, Balanced Accountability: Three Secrets to Win Hearts and Maximize Performance, is available from Amazon now.

About the Author:

Hernani Alves is an Amazon best selling author, international speaker, and consultant with over twenty years of business experience as a Sales Executive for a $3 Billion Company. He’s the founder of Balanced IQ, a company that helps leaders build world-class teams focused on getting sustainable results in varying economic climates.

In his book, Balanced Accountability: Three Leadership Secrets to Win Hearts and Maximize Performance, Alves delivers a newfound clarity on the case for accountability and the steps organizations, and individuals need to take to unleash their potential. He reveals the frame work needed to improve accountability in the workplace to win hearts and maximize performance.

 

What is accountability in the workplace? Maximize Your Business with the 3Ps of Balanced Accountability

What is accountability in the workplace? Maximize Your Business with the 3Ps of Balanced Accountability.  Steve Jobs once said, “My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to take these great people we have and to push and make them even better.” That’s coaching. It’s building up your team when they’re down and celebrating their wins for the hard-fought victories that they are. This mindset is key to making people successful. Not always happy, but successful. For example: when I tell my kids to finish their chores, I’m teaching them to finish a job. They may not be happy about it at that moment, but the habits they form now are going to lead them to success later. I do this for them out of love.

A great leader loves their team similar to that of a parent loving their children. As a father, I hold my kids accountable because I know it’s the best way to help them become better versions of themselves. It’s the same drive that fuels my relationship with my employees. I’m grateful for their work, I love them for their contributions, and I want to see them succeed under (and after) my leadership.

This wasn’t always my take on supervising. When I started managing my first team, we were seeing record sales, but my team couldn’t stand me. I was a strict and negative micromanager, and even though our numbers were good, they were unsustainable. How far can a supervisor expect his employees push for them under those conditions? It wasn’t until I started using accountability to improve (not punish) my team that I was able to overcome my faults and eventually become the executive vice-president of a $3 billion company. 

Lack of effective accountability is the crux of most workplace problems, but the fault doesn’t lie on the employees. According to a Partners in Leadership study, 84% of respondents cite their leaders’ behavior as the most important factor in determining the accountability of their work. Employees crave an environment that enhances their abilities. The best way to establish that type organization is through something I call the 3Ps: Personal, Positive, and Performance Accountability. These are the backbone of effective accountability. I’ve mentored countless other leaders through this, and I’ve also experienced it firsthand. It works.

The 3Ps

P1: Personal Accountability

This is the most important “P” of the program. As a leader, you need to hold yourself accountable. Believe it or not, our employees want to follow in our footsteps. You need to be willing to demonstrate self-awareness and humility in your own leadership before asking them to do the same. Request feedback on your own work, and focus on finding solutions to your struggles instead of getting defensive. You set the precedent for the rest of your team.

P2: Positive Accountability

Positivity is essential to achieving sustainable results. It’s how good managers become great leaders. Plus it’s just more enjoyable than being negative. 

We’ve learned that positivity is just as contagious as negativity, which makes creating positive experiences at work absolutely worth it. Celebrating the wins, praising a job well done, and rewarding great performances are all examples of positive accountability. This step not only reduces turnover, but it also increases profitability and makes work a more enjoyable place to be.

P3: Performance Accountability

This is more what you think of when you think about accountability. You know, like “holding someone accountable” for their actions? However, done wrong and you’ll just be inviting your team to resist and resent your leadership. You don’t need shame to hold someone accountable. Performance Accountability allows you to coach your staff instead of penalizing them for their mistakes. Your employees need to know that you have faith in them. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself with an unmotivated and unstable workforce. 

Before giving this program a go, know that you must follow the 3Ps in order. If you jump around, you’ll be missing the foundation needed to make this work. Without a strong footing based on your own accountability and positivity, focussing on performance will come across as strict and unreasonable. No one will want to work with you, and you can forget about them giving you their best. 

Starting with P1 (personal), then P2 (positive) correctly will allow P3 (performance) to naturally follow. You’ll be equipped with the tools you need to get the results you want.

Don’t Manage. Lead.

Performance Accountability touches on the traditional notions of accountability: hitting targets, following rules, and discipline. But the 3Ps don’t rely on asserting authority over your employees, they rely on coaching them instead.

Steve Jobs once said, “My job is not to be easy on people. My job is to take these great people we have and to push and make them even better.” That’s coaching. It’s building up your team when they’re down and celebrating their wins for the hard-fought victories that they are. This mindset is key to making people successful. Not always happy, but successful. For example: when I tell my kids to finish their chores, I’m teaching them to finish a job. They may not be happy about it at that moment, but the habits they form now are going to lead them to success later. I do this for them out of love.

To coach is to motivate, and the 3Ps are designed to help you guide your employees toward improvement and reliability. You’ll find that showing genuine loyalty to your team can influence the way that they perform. It will prompt them to do better. 

Sixty years ago, they would have called me crazy for suggesting that we get personal and positive at the office, but that attitude is changing. We’ve come a long way, but there’s still so much more we need to do to create respectful and humane workplaces that are as enriching as they are productive. The 3Ps are my answer to that call. Give them a try. If you’re struggling in your leadership, I can guarantee that accountability will help you get back on track. I’ve not only seen it work for innumerable others, but my own success is a testament. Ready, Set, Go!

About the Author:

Hernani Alves is an Amazon best selling author, international speaker, and consultant with over twenty years of business experience as a Sales Executive for a $3 Billion Company. He’s the founder of Balanced IQ, a company that helps leaders build world-class teams focused on getting sustainable results in varying economic climates.

In his book, Balanced Accountability: Three Leadership Secrets to Win Hearts and Maximize Performance, Alves delivers a newfound clarity on the case for accountability and the steps organizations, and individuals need to take to unleash their potential. He reveals the frame work needed to improve accountability in the workplace to win hearts and maximize performance.

 

How Do I Become More Positive? Management Lessons

How Do I Become More Positive? Recognizing small wins was a habit I had to cultivate, but it’s a habit that snowballs. As soon as you start noticing the great things your team is doing, it becomes easier to see even more. It very quickly turns from a chore to improve your team’s performance, to a fun exercise you enjoy doing, that also benefits your team. As Dr. Teresa Amabile from Harvard Business School said, “Track your small wins to motivate big accomplishments.” And the fun thing is, you never know how big those accomplishments will be!

I took my daughter, Carmina, to the golf range for the first time when she was eight years-old. I was excited to share my favorite hobby with her and wanted her to do well. In my eagerness to create the golf prodigy I never was, I coached her hard. I thought, If I stay on her and ensure she learns right from the start, she’ll be in good shape. She won’t have to unlearn bad habits as I did, losing many balls from my ugly slice. So that afternoon, I corrected every swing and told her how to adjust each angle. She hated it. On the way home, she said she’d never go back. She didn’t want to hit balls ever again. I was devastated, as I’d so wanted to play golf with my daughter.

Fast forward three years. My son, Riley, was seven, and he asked to go to the driving range with me. I was determined to learn from my mistakes with Carmina, so I handed Riley the club, gave him the basics on how to swing, and let him go at it. Every time he made contact with the ball, we celebrated. I didn’t coach him at all. We just whooped, and high-fived any time he hit the ball. It was fun for both of us, and the drive home was a lot happier than the one with Carmina three years prior.

That evening, as always, we did our “Family Dinner Favorites.” We go around the table, and each raises a toast to our favorite part of the day. Riley raised his glass of milk and said, “Cheers to hitting golf balls… my favorite part of the day!” Carmina, now 11-years-old, heard this and asked if I’d take her next time. I jumped on this second chance with my daughter and took both the kids to the driving range the very next day.

This time, I did the same as I’d done with Riley. We celebrated all the small wins, every time Carmina made contact with the ball. I was pleasantly surprised by how well she did. We had a great day together, and Carmina stuck with it. She made the varsity golf team as a freshman and played in a variety of junior golf tournaments. We still play together, too. Some of the most special moments in my free time are while playing golf with my kids, and it’s what I always ask for on Father’s Day. It’s amazing how encouraging Carmina’s small wins ended with such big, meaningful results for both of us.

Celebrating small wins at work

I experienced something similar in the work world, particularly when I was working at Sleep Train Mattress Centers (chain of stores on the West Coast). For years, we didn’t have a director of human resources (HR). The various department leaders just shot from the hip on how to manage HR. We did the best we could with what we knew — or thought we knew — about recruiting, managing, and sometimes firing people. But as the company grew, our founder, Dale Carlsen, in his wisdom, saw we needed help. He went out and hired Tracy Jackson, an HR professional with more than a decade of experience.

Now, at that time, we were primarily a “guys” company. In our ignorance, we hadn’t given any attention to diversity. We didn’t know, back then, all the benefits that come from a more balanced workforce. So when Dale announced we’d have to answer to an HR manager, I’m ashamed to say our collective thought was, uh oh. There was a lot of talk around the water cooler. We bemoaned the extra hoops she’d no doubt force us to jump through. We complained about all the red tape she’d surely strangle us with.

In our first executive team meeting, Tracy and I sat across from each other in the board room. I leaned back in my chair, arms crossed, surveying her as she gestured enthusiastically and spoke with real passion. She said there is no template. Human resources is about humans, and we have to stay consistent while realizing no two employees are the same. It’s about people, first and foremost. In minutes, I found myself leaning forward, listening intently, my hesitation flying out the window. I was impressed. Tracy quickly proved herself to be unbelievably good at the job. She won over everyone, and taught us what we should’ve already realized: Having a woman in the room only improves things, and giving proper attention to HR issues creates more engaged employees.

Losing my marbles

We developed a great relationship. Tracy expertly guided me through many sticky moments and helped me become a better leader. So, 11 years later, when Tracy said she couldn’t relocate her family to move to the company’s new headquarters in Texas, I was gutted. The team understood of course, but we were all sad. Tracy got a new job which would allow her to stay in the area, but before she left, she undertook a small, personal challenge she called Losing My Marbles.

She bought a bag of marbles and set a goal to give each marble to a colleague who’d made a difference in her career. She put them all in a bowl on her desk and said seeing them there held her personally accountable to fulfilling her goal. Only when the bowl was empty would she know she’d accomplished what she’d wanted, and thanked the people who’d meant something to her. A couple of times a day, she took a marble from the bowl, handed it to someone in the office, and spent two or three minutes thanking them for their help. It became very symbolic.

When she brought a marble into my office, she sat down across the desk from me, just as she’d done in that first meeting. She talked about how I’d leaned on her in my career,which was very true, and how that had helped her see the meaning in her work. She said my trust had helped her develop. I’d had no idea! She had done more for me than I’d ever done for anyone else, and it was so encouraging to hear our relationship had benefited her. It was a small gesture that celebrated a mutual win, and it encouraged me beyond measure. That moment stayed with me. And I never lost my marble; it stayed with me, too.

Take 5 and 100 Grand

Tracy’s example reminded me of something I did a few years prior. I’d realized every time I showed up in a colleague’s cubicle, I was asking them for something. I wondered if I could build better relationships by showing up to give. But what would I give? Office supplies? Extra staples? No one wanted those. But there is something that’s almost universally appreciated: candy.

I bought a case of 100 Grand candy bars and started handing them out. I didn’t just dump them in a bowl in the office kitchen, though. I gave them out one by one, with a thank you for a specific achievement. Sometimes, I said something meaningful. Other times, I kept it simple and light, and just said, “You’ve worked so hard. Here’s your payday… one hundred grand!”

It went down well. It’s amazing how much people will help you when you’ve shown up to give. I expanded my efforts and bought a bunch of Take 5 candy bars. In the morning, I’d put six on my desk and challenge myself to give them all out before I could take a break. I continued the cheesy wordplay, and told team members, “Take five! You’ve done a great job. You deserve a break.”

Noticing the wins

My relationships improved, people were more willing to help me, and I felt good for it. Finding excuses to give out the candy bars made me notice all the small wins my team scored. It was encouraging to see. When I shared the moment with a team member, and we celebrated a small win together, they were encouraged, too. The positive experience was contagious.

I took my efforts on the road when I visited stores in my region. I’d always felt store staff were intimidated when head office leaders came in. It was like they put up a wall to protect themselves because they were sure you were there to tell them they’d done wrong. But when I went in and found small wins to celebrate, right off the bat, that wall disappeared. I handed out candy bars, chocolates, and snacks. I’d say, “These are your sales vitamins. When you’re having a bad day, eat them!” Then, they opened up. We had real, productive conversations.

It was such a change from the audit programs I used to do. When I started visiting mattress stores, I wanted to catch the staff off guard. I’d turn up without much notice, put on a white glove, and run my finger over the headboards, looking for dust. I’d review every aspect and, many times, found stores weren’t up to par. They weren’t organized enough, clean enough, welcoming enough, whatever. I’d only get through two or three stores in one trip because it took so much time to audit them fully.

When I shifted my mentality, I decided to give the district leader two week’s notice before showing up. The leader would use the visit to motivate the staff to get the store spotless. Instead of donning my white glove as soon as I arrived, I asked the team to show me the store. They started talking to me, telling me their wins and what they wished they could do better. I got some resistance from higher leaders who thought we should catch what they do when we’re not there. But the results spoke for themselves. In follow-ups, I found they maintained a clean, welcoming store throughout the summer — our busiest months.

I also went home happier and my days were more enjoyable.  I knew I’d helped improve our service standards, I’d enveloped so many more leaders into taking ownership of and pride in the state of our stores, and I was able to see more stores in one trip. My top goal was to motivate the staff and get them more excited about our company. Win, win, win.

Small wins in the big picture

Celebrating small wins, like hitting a ball or meeting all your store’s cleanliness criteria, is one thing. Bigger wins, such as exceeding sales targets, are more difficult to reward. Offering a chocolate bar to celebrate six months of long hours slaving over sales numbers just won’t cut it. But the same principle applies: You need to track small wins as you work towards bigger goals.

Breaking big tasks into a series of small ones isn’t a new idea, of course. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. It’s common for annual sales targets to be broken down into quarterly, monthly, and weekly goals per district, and individual branch. The point is that it’s not enough to set these smaller, milestone goals. You must celebrate them, too. You need to use those smaller targets as opportunities to magnify the wins along the way, so your team has enough motivation to make it to the finish line. Without celebration, it just feels like one target comes after another, after another, and no success is ever enough. That’s miserable and demoralizing, and that feeling slows everyone down.

Magnifying small wins with micro-celebrations creates momentum. It boosts morale and motivation, and speeds everything up. It’s a classic tortoise and hare situation. By taking time out to celebrate a small win, you get to your final destination faster. And remember, that time out doesn’t have to last long. Tracy took two or three minutes to thank her colleagues. It took me no more than that to pass out candy bars. High-fiving Carmina took her away from the tee for five seconds.

At Sleep Train, we used weekly sales targets, as your company might. Week in, week out, these numbers helped us monitor our progress towards the larger, annual goals. We also used them, every single week, to magnify our top salespeople. We praised those who hit the weekly targets. We didn’t shame those who didn’t, but we let them see those goals were possible because their teammate was doing it. It helped them understand that hitting those numbers was an attainable goal, and it was the kind of thing that was regularly praised.

Celebrate wins big and small

Celebrating small wins should, quite simply, be a positive experience! Steal ideas, or use any others that honor your employees.

Whatever you choose to do to celebrate small wins, it’s worth it. Rewards — verbal encouragement, symbolic marbles, candy, or anything else — motivate people to reach bigger goals. A high-five when your daughter hits a golf ball can encourage her to put in the effort required to become a varsity golfer. I’m not saying I’m responsible for Carmina’s success —t hat’s all on her. I just realized that, when I didn’t celebrate her small wins, I created a barrier that prevented her from pushing on. I sucked all the joy from the driving range, and who wants to do something that’s not enjoyable?

Recognizing small wins was a habit I had to cultivate, but it’s a habit that snowballs. As soon as you start noticing the great things your team is doing, it becomes easier to see even more. It very quickly turns from a chore to improve your team’s performance, to a fun exercise you enjoy doing, that also benefits your team. As Dr. Teresa Amabile from Harvard Business School said, “Track your small wins to motivate big accomplishments.” And the fun thing is, you never know how big those accomplishments will be!

About the Author:  Hernani Alves is an Amazon best selling author, international speaker, and consultant with over 20 years of business experience as a sales executive for a $3 billion company. He’s the founder of Balanced IQ, a company that helps leaders build world-class teams focused on getting sustainable results in varying economic climates.

How do I become more positive? Superhero Mentality – Three Steps To Turn A Negative Into A Positive

How do I become more positive? Superhero Mentality – Three Steps To Turn A Negative Into A Positive.  When you stop making excuses, you are in control. It gives you the power to command any setback that might arise with grace and patience as opposed to anger. If your nature is to fall into a victim mindset, you must address this to become a great leader. It’s not easy, especially when someone truly does wrong you. However, learning to take the hits as they come can have a life-changing impact on your employees.

Steve Young, the former NFL player and MVP of Super Bowl XXIX, threw 202 interceptions in his career. That’s 202 opportunities he had to receive backlash from fans, critics, coaches, and teammates. No man is an island so he could have probably handed his teammates some strong notes on their own play, but that wasn’t Young’s style.

He knew that getting defensive would only create resentment. His ultimate goal was to win, so instead of making excuses, he’d focus on his own mistakes while doing whatever it took to motivate his team. Young was a leader in his organization and a champion to millions because he understood exactly how to turn a tough situation into a victory. He worked with a true Superhero Mentality.

Here are my top three steps that you can use in your day-to-day to be the hero your staff needs and deserves.

1. Take the Hit.

The difference between a leader and a full-blown workplace superhero is who will take the hit. When issues like missed deadlines, low sales, etc., need to be accounted for, that person needs to be you. There might be legit reasons why you’re facing particular challenges (including some that aren’t your fault), but if you want your team to win, you, the leader, have to take the hit. It’s part of the job. Just as a quarterback takes responsibility for his throws, you take responsibility for your employees.  You’ll start winning your team’s hearts and they will want to follow you even more.  Don’t be shocked when your team starts to own their mistakes as well.

2. Eliminate Excuses.

Taking the hit = stopping the excuses. This idea was drilled into me on a snowy soccer field in Idaho when I was nine years old. It was half time, and my team was losing 0-3. It was snowing, but not that fluffy fun kind of snow. More of a piercing, icy, slippery kind of downpour. We were miserable, but our coach was at a loss as to why we were losing. When asked just what was going on out there, I spoke up “We don’t play well when it’s snowing. The field sucks. And it’s cold.” Coach looked at me and said, “Are you kidding me? You’re playing in the same weather, on the same field, as the other team. No more excuses.”

It was brilliant and opened us up to the fact that we weren’t powerless. After that, we were all for playing in bad weather. We knew it would get to the other teams, but not us. Instead of making excuses, we focused on what we could control on the field.

Do you make excuses for not performing at your best? Whatever problems we’re facing, it’s human nature to look for an outside source to blame. But excuses are part of the victim mentality which is the complete opposite of the Superhero Mentality. It’s dwelling on what went wrong or who’s at fault instead of mending the problem. Of course, there’s a time and place for considering what went sideways, but a hero will always focus on solutions while a victim will wallow in the injustice of it all.

3. Hero Power.

When you stop making excuses, you are in control. It gives you the power to command any setback that might arise with grace and patience as opposed to anger. If your nature is to fall into a victim mindset, you must address this to become a great leader. It’s not easy, especially when someone truly does wrong you. However, learning to take the hits as they come can have a life-changing impact on your employees. It may even be the trigger that helps them win, just as Steve Young so often did with his team.

Young once said “The principle of competing is against yourself. It’s about self-improvement, and being better than you were the day before.” When you pledge to ditch victim mentality, you gain the upper hand against whatever you’re facing. You have to decide right now if that’s something you’re ready to do. Not tomorrow, not at the next meeting, now. If you want to be a leader that others will love to follow, you must understand that this is the moment that will decide the foundation of your future success.

As Optimus Prime said in Transformers: Age of Extinction, “Often, the most important moments in life come to this exact moment. What are you going to do?”

How do you give feedback? Six Steps to Leadership Feedback

How do you give feedback?  Six Steps to Leadership Feedback.  When we’re experiencing difficulty, it’s natural to look for outside sources to blame. However, I know that I’m the only person I can change. Therefore, my number one strategy for improvement is seeking feedback on my performance.

Learning to Win Hearts

Want to reduce management struggles and boost your leadership? Get ready to be vulnerable.

When we’re experiencing difficulty, it’s natural to look for outside sources to blame. However, I know that I’m the only person I can change. Therefore, my number one strategy for improvement is seeking feedback on my performance.

A Gift

When I was 23, I got a job at Sleep Train (a chain of mattress stores on the West Coast). The adrenaline of sales pulled me in, and I eventually went full-time. In six months, I was managing my own store in Stockton, California.

In my first quarter, my store turned its terrible numbers into record-breaking sales that surpassed even the highest ranked stores. I did it by following the rules to a “T” and drilling my employees on everything they did. My store was performing great, so I was convinced that I was the perfect boss. It was then that my district manager, Matt, painted me a different picture of my success. He told me, “You’re outstanding and one of the best salespeople we have. However, no one wants to work with you.” Ouch. My team actually disliked me so much that they gave me one of the worst nicknames you could ever give someone. It’s so bad; I don’t believe that I can post it in this article. You can read all about that in my book; Balanced Accountability.

 This bit of truth was hard to hear, but it ended up being such a gift. Without it, I couldn’t have gone from that part-time sales position to the executive vice-president of a $3 billion company. In order to really accept what Matt was saying, however, I had to be open to the discomfort that came with getting critiqued.

Personal Engagement Survey

Feedback is essential to strengthening your team and holding yourself accountable. The best way to get it is with a Personal Engagement Survey – a process that invites your staff to tell you exactly how they feel about your management. Is it awkward? Usually, but it’s worth it.

Here’s how it goes:

Step 1. Set the stage

You’ll need a room and two flip charts. On the first flip chart write, “Things I’ve done that you liked and want more of.” On the other, write, “Things I need to do less of.”

Step 2. Gather your team and prepare to take the hit

Assemble your staff and talk about the challenges you’ve been experiencing. Admit that this situation is your responsibility and describe how this activity will help you be a better leader. Your team will love seeing you take the hit and will do anything to help you.

Step 3. Describe the activity

Ask your team to think about your actions in the last six months. Leave the room, and have them fill out the flip charts accordingly. Be prepared for the room to get tense – criticizing a higher-up can be scary. Assuring them that you’re the only one who will be taking the hit will prepare them for a productive session.

Step 4. Leave the room

Let your team work on this without you. Give them a half hour to fill out the charts while you find a place to do the exercise yourself. What do you think your team likes about you? What doesn’t work for them? This will enable you to compare your own ideas to those of your team.

Step 5. Go back and listen

After thirty minutes, return to the room and have your team tell you more about each item listed. This is very important: All you need to say is, “Tell me more about X…” Many items will be difficult to hear, but don’t challenge them, explain, justify, or makes excuses. Remember, you’re the one taking the hit! Commit to listening.

Step 6. Filter, take action and show proof

Thank everyone for their honesty and continue with your planned meeting. Be sure to let them know that you value their feedback. Now filter out anything that’s not helpful. Review what you heard and look for common denominators and recurring themes. Then decide what actions you will take based on what you’ve learned. 

 Important: Show the proof to your team that you’re listening and send them an email with your top three to five things you’re going to work on first. 

 This process isn’t easy, but what an incredible opportunity it is to be able to tailor your leadership to your staff’s unique needs. This is not only a sure-fire way to improve your own accomplishments, but it’s a great way to build bonds and prevent turnover. Imagine how much closer your team will be once they feel respected, trusted, and valued. Don’t be shocked when your team comes to you for feedback on their performance. 

 As Bill Gates said as co-founder at Microsoft, “We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.” Feedback is not only a gift to the receiver, but it’s also a bonus for the giver. Allow yourself to be vulnerable and uncomfortable now so that you can be a stronger and better leader in the future. 

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About the Author:

Hernani Alves is an Amazon best selling author, international speaker, and consultant with over twenty years of business experience as a Sales Executive for a $3 Billion Company. He’s the founder of Balanced IQ, a company that helps leaders build world-class teams focused on getting sustainable results in varying economic climates.

In his book, Balanced Accountability: Three Leadership Secrets to Win Hearts and Maximize Performance, Alves delivers a newfound clarity on the case for accountability and the steps organizations, and individuals need to take to unleash their potential. He reveals the framework needed to improve accountability in the workplace to win hearts and maximize performance.

To connect with Alves, visit his Website, LinkedIn Profile, Facebook or Amazon