Todd Davis is a Senior Consultant and Thought Leader, the Former Chief People Officer at FranklinCovey and author of the book “Get Better: 15 Proven Practices to Build Effective Relationships at Work”. Host Mike Petrusky asks Todd about the importance of understanding employees, creating engaging work environments, and the principles of effective leadership as outlined in the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. Todd emphasizes how leadership involves understanding employees and their needs and the timeless principles that Dr. Stephen Covey explored continue to be relevant in today’s changing workplace environment.
Agenda
- A discussion on the role of leadership in creating engaging work environments
- The impact of the pandemic on workplace dynamics, and how facility management can adapt to modern work trends
- Todd Davis shares insights from his book “Get Better: 15 Proven Practices to Build Effective Relationships at Work” and discusses the updated “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” course.
What you need to know: Workplace takeaways
Takeaway 1: Effective leadership involves a shift from traditional norms to a focus on employee engagement and results.
In the context of leadership and workplace management, Todd Davis emphasized the importance of focusing on the desired outcomes rather than adhering strictly to traditional norms. “When I think about innovation, particularly in the workplace, I start off with what are we trying to accomplish?” Says Davis. He suggested that instead of limiting themselves to the status quo, leaders should consider what results they are aiming for and how to achieve the highest levels of employee engagement.
Davis highlights the role of facility management in contributing to employee engagement, stating, “Facilities is so much more than just the space we allocate for each department and each individual. It has such an impact on the people themselves and how people feel about what we call their ‘rice bowl’, not only what they earn, but where they sit, where they eat, where they do their work.” He and the CFO of Franklin Covey collaborated to ensure that facilities were aligned with the company’s people-focused philosophy.
Davis also discussed the importance of adapting to changes, such as those brought about by the pandemic. “We started changing our budgets and saying, ‘OK, wait a minute, why do we furnish them at home then? Why don’t we furnish them in other ways?’” he says. This adaptability led to more flexible work environments that better supported employee productivity and engagement.
Takeaway 2: Leaders should prioritize understanding their team members and communicating the rationale behind changes to reduce resistance and foster collaboration.
Davis shares insights on the importance of leaders taking the time to understand their team members and the key stakeholders. “The greatest leaders that I’m thinking about and frankly, the most influential leaders that I’ve worked with and in our client base as well, they are those who model habit 5 [of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People]. They take time to truly understand their teams, the key stakeholders, other people, where they’re coming from,” he notes. This approach involves listening with the intent to understand rather than to reply, which helps in making better decisions and building trust.
He also provides a practical approach to change management, emphasizing the need to provide clear information to employees. “Change management is turning our brains from that reactive mode to a thinking mode. Do anything as a leader to help your people move their brain from being reactive to thinking. And how do we do that? We provide them with information,” Davis explains. By explaining the reasons behind decisions, leaders can help their teams transition from a reactive to a proactive mindset, making them part of the solution rather than the problem.
Davis’s advice to leaders is to regularly check in with their team members to understand their needs and perspectives. “What could I do as your leader to create the circumstances for you to feel even more engaged than you are right now?” he suggests. This practice not only helps in addressing specific concerns but also makes employees feel valued and cared for, which can significantly enhance their engagement and productivity.
Takeaway 3: Franklin Covey’s 7 Habits course has been updated to reflect modern workplace challenges while maintaining timeless principles.
Davis discussed the ongoing relevance of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, a book that has been a cornerstone of leadership and management for over 35 years. “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People book was written about 35 years ago. And interestingly, it still remains one of the best-selling business books of all time. It sells thousands of copies even today,” he says. The principles outlined in the book, such as “Seek first to understand, then to be understood,” remain as relevant today as they were when first published.
The FranklinCovey team has been working to update the course to ensure it remains applicable to today’s workforce. “This team has been working for the last 2 years on just creating new videos. Anybody who’s ever been through a FranklinCovey course knows that we are famous for helping you shift your paradigm to see the world differently, to see situations differently, and we do a lot of that through amazing videos,” Todd explains. These updates aim to provide practical applications of the 7 Habits in the context of modern workplace challenges, such as remote work and hybrid environments.
For facility management and workplace leaders, the updated 7 Habits Effect course offers a 2-day experience that helps participants understand and apply the habits in their current work situations. “It’s a 2-day course where people organizations go over and have experiences in understanding the habits and then learning how to specifically apply them in the workforce they’re dealing with today, and the challenges that they’re dealing with,” Todd says. This course can be a valuable resource for leaders looking to enhance their skills and better support their teams in a rapidly evolving work environment.
Workplace management insights
- Todd Davis emphasizes the importance of starting with the end goal in mind when considering workplace innovation.
- He suggests that leaders should focus on understanding their team members and stakeholders to make better decisions and foster engagement.
- Change management is about moving people from a reactive to a thinking state by providing clear information and explanations.
- The physical workplace should be viewed as a critical component of employee engagement and productivity, not just a space for work.
- Todd recommends that leaders prioritize understanding their team’s needs and creating a supportive environment to ensure success.
Register for The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People™ course
