I recently heard a client say, ” I have never seen an employee stick around after having been through a performance improvement process.”

The challenge in many organizations is that they view discipline the wrong way. The process is filled with warnings, threats, and ultimatums, and as a result good people leave bad managers.

On the other hand, when discipline is done correctly, it can be a process that helps an employee and team be successful.

In Part 1 of this blog series, I wrote about the underlying assumptions that makeup the positive discipline process. Part 2 was focused on overcoming some of the common and costly mistakes leaders make that derail behavioral change. Part 3 was about the scaling levels of the Discipline Continuum. Today's post is focused on having the actual discipline conversation.

In Part 1 of this blog series, I wrote about the underlying assumptions that makeup the positive discipline process. Part 2 was focused on overcoming some of the common and costly mistakes leaders make that derail behavioral change.

Today's post is focused on what I call the Discipline Continuum.

In part 1 of this series, I presented some assumptions about how the positive discipline process should work. With this new set of assumptions, you'll replace your out-dated, old-school policies of "threats," "warnings," and "ultimatims" that create compliance instead of commitment.

I recently heard a client say, " I have never seen an employee stick around after having been through a performance improvement process."

The challenge in many organizations is that they view discipline the wrong way. The process is filled with warnings, threats, and ultimatums, and as a result good people leave bad managers.

On the other hand, when discipline is done correctly, it can be a process that helps an employee and team be successful.

It's really about building commitment instead of compliance.

We hear a lot about accountability. But, what does it really mean? What can leaders do to create an accountable organization?

Here are a few questions to consider.

Numerous leadership books will tell you that having a vision is important. But for many people, the idea alone is difficult to understand, which makes developing a team vision elusive.

Having a vision for your team is critical because it gives the members clarity on the team’s purpose and where it’s going. That clarity helps in day-to-day decision making, prioritizing, and understanding expectations.

Here is a simple 6-step process to help you create a meaningful and compelling vision for your team.

A challenge in too many organizations is that teams and leaders often seek agreement instead of commitment.

You probably know what I'm talking about.

Agreement happens when people sit in meetings, nod their heads, and then afterwards either fail to take action or deliver on time.

Commitment, on the other hand, occurs when people take responsibility and then follow through to completion.

Agreement results in head nods. Commitment results in action.

Is your team stuck in seeking agreement instead of commitment?

I often hear leaders say "I want my people to contribute more in our team meetings."

What most leaders don't realize is that limited conversation is often the result of their individual behaviors. For example, I recently attended a client's team meeting and noticed that he would ramble on for several minutes at a time and then ask "any questions?" and without hesitation begin talking again.

And, he didn't even know he was doing it.

Want to generate more conversation in your meetings?

Try these three ideas.

The best leaders spend up to 20% of their time coaching their direct reports.

It's a responsibility that leaders all too often overlook as they get caught up in pressing matters, but nothing can be more important to the health and future of an organization.

Coaching others not only helps develop their skills, it frees leaders to focus on more strategic initiatives as their junior leaders develop. It also builds the bench strength of an organization to ensure a competitive advantage in years to come.