Leadership and Management Notes
by Dan McCarthy
Monday, May 14, 2012
The 6 Passages of Leadership and Management
Unless you are an heir to a throne, people usually don’t begin their careers leading a large organization. There’s a progression of passages, or at least there should be.Charan, Drotter, and Noel wrote about six leadership passages in their classic book The Leadership Pipeline. However, they use the terms "leadership" and "management" interchangeably. There’s a big difference, right?
What if we took a simplified version of the Pipeline model, and mash it with a distinction between leadership and management?
We’ll call it The Great Leadership & Management Passages Model (OK, so we need a catchier name):
Here are the six passages:
Passage #1: Managing Yourself
Managing yourself means learning how to show up to work on time and dressed appropriately, get along with your co-workers, manage your time and priorities, keep your boss happy, and follow basic workplace adequate, i.e., no microwaving fish in the break room. It also means learning how to solve problems, make decisions, use good judgment, and control your emotions.
Passage #2: Leading Yourself
Leading yourself involves figuring out what really inspires you and doing whatever it is you do with a sense of purpose and passion. It includes having a clear set of values and principles that guide your day-to-day behavior and decisions, a compelling vision, and goals. It requires the ability to handle ambiguity, paradox, and change.
Passage #3: Managing Others and Teams
Managing others and teams involves learning out to hire, train, establish performance measures, reward, and punish. It’s about figuring out what and how the work needs to be done, and lining up the right resources needed to get the work done.
Passage #4: Leading Others and Teams
In other to lead others and teams, you have to learn about and tap into each individuals values, goals, hopes, dreams, and fears. It involves getting to know each team member and learning how to inspire commitment, energize, and harness the individual and collective passion of the team. At the risk of stating the obvious – to lead others and teams requires transforming yourself into a leader.
Passage #5: Managing Organizations
Managing organizations involves optimizing a number of different functions in order to create a product or service and archive measurable organizational outcomes. It requires having a solid grasp of all aspects of the organization, including strategy, sales, marketing, human resources, manufacturing, research, legal, etc….
Goals need to be set at a high level and then cascaded throughout the organization with a performance management system in place to achieve those goals. Managing organizations also means being responsive to multiple stakeholders, including employees, customers, investors, government, and the community.
Passage #6: Leading Organizations
Leading organizations requires learning how to establish a compelling vision and inspire large groups of people to act from afar. An organizational leader can no longer rely on the ability tap into each individual’s passion – they need to figure out how to manage culture and engage the entire organization in order to mobilize shared commitment.
Leading organizations requires learning how to identify and develop other leaders, because no one leader can create and sustain extraordinary performance on their own.
I believe the passages are developmentally progressive and build upon each other. An individual can technically jump right into passages #5 and #6, Managing and Leading Organizations, they won’t be successful in the long run if they haven’t learned how to lead and manage themselves, other individuals, and teams I’ve seen this happen over and over – the brilliant, young entrepreneur or the star performer who is put in charge of an organization with undeveloped emotional intelligence and no actual experience managing others. Unfortunately, sometimes they never do learn – or even try to – and it ends up being their downfall.
I realize the model is way overly simplified – we couldn’t possibly describe everything it takes to lead and manage in less than 1000 words. But then again, when it comes to models, simple is good. If you can’t explain it to a 12-year old (or a CEO), then it’s too complicated.
So what do you think of the model? Make sense? What would you change? Please share your thoughts in the comment section.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Avoiding the Mistakes All Leaders Make
This guest post by David Grossman wasn't meant as a response to Beth Armknecht Miller's recent The Top 5 Mistakes Leaders Make - the timing was just coincidental. Someone tweeted in response to Beth's post: "I made all of these - does that make me a great leader?" I'd say it could help, as long as you learn by your mistakes. In that case, why not double down and make 10 mistakes? (-:
Avoiding the Mistakes All Leaders Make
In my experience, every large organization has at least one thing in common…
There isn’t a single senior management team that doesn’t spend days, weeks working tirelessly on their organization’s strategic plan. At the end of the process, everyone leaves excited about the plan and the path forward.
Yet too often the scenario that plays out is just an illusion, not true alignment. Getting the strategic plan in writing is only the beginning. The real challenge is in getting to the outcome of that strategic plan by activating the strategy inside your organization.
When it comes to bringing strategy to life, we’ve all made costly (and often the same) mistakes—mistakes that make the difference between good and great. Between confusion, skepticism and complacency… and engagement, efficiency and effectiveness.
Like any good investment, committing to organization-wide alignment around messaging and vision should pay for itself more than ten-fold—this year, and in the future.
Here are just a few of the mistakes that everyone makes, but everyone can avoid.
Mistake #1 – You don’t have a strategy that’s codified (it’s in your head or in a few leaders’ heads)
You might have the most compelling vision for your organization, but if you can’t get it out of your head and get others to see it and believe in it, it might as well not even exist.
It’s up to you to engage others so they have the same clear picture you do of your strategy and where the business is going. Lift the perspective out of your head and get it into others’ so they can own it and help you achieve it.
Mistake #2 – Elements of your strategy mean different things to different people
When it comes to strategy there are two rules. Rule #1: Have a strategy. Rule #2: Make sure everyone is literally on the same page in understanding the components of the strategy and how to implement it.
Take a cue from the trusted dictionary and literally define what each of the concepts means in your strategy. Share the definitions with your leaders and employees.
Mistake #3 – No data exists on the state of communication and what needs to be improved from employees’ perspective
Leaders are hungry for data to make business decisions on everything from new products and services to whether or not to enter a new market. Yet when it comes to organizational health and employee engagement, many fail to measure what’s working and what’s not.
Whether measuring your own business unit/function or the overall health of communications inside the organization, leaders (with the help of their communications experts) can make precise decisions about what communications to start, stop or continue to get employees engaged in the strategy and drive performance.
Mistake #4 – You don’t hold your leaders accountable to communicate your strategy
Leaders set the tone for how information flows inside an organization and how employees work and interact together, yet many aren’t judged on their performance in this critical discipline.
Accountability must be built in at multiple levels so leaders know what is expected of them, understand what "success" looks like, and can perform effectively to meet the stated expectations. When set up best, accountability for communication is part of the overall performance management system and is specifically tied to compensation.
Mistake #5 – You don’t arm leaders with the training and tools they need to communicate the strategy and make it relevant for their teams
Training ensures a leader builds the competence needed to customize and communicate critical information, and there’s no more critical piece of information than your business strategy. Since leadership communication is a learned skill, this is a critical element. When leaders know better, they do better.
Tools provide leaders with what they need to get their message across to various audiences. These often are compiled in a standard kit that leaders can pull from and customize for communicating in different settings and circumstances, whether it is bullet points for a casual lunch with employees or a presentation on the company’s key goals for a sales event or all-staff meeting.
Finally, leaders need to be assessed. How are they doing at meeting the expectations you’ve set for them?
I call it the Core Four: accountability, tools, training, and measurement. Miss one, and you’ve reduced your chances of moving leaders to action.
Communication is at the heart of your success
These are just a few of the critical mistakes everyone makes. The good news is they’re all avoidable through strong communication.
At its core, great leadership is all about giving direction, offering context, and ensuring that every person in the company—from the representative on the front lines of customer service to members of the senior leadership team—understands in ways that are relevant to him or her what the company strategy is, what it will take to accomplish its goals, and what the rewards are when you get there.
All that can only happen through communication.
Though communication does not always get the attention it deserves in C-suite planning, great leaders know it’s at the heart of their success—it’s the leavening that makes the strategic bread rise, the wheels that make the strategic car drive, the brush with which you paint your masterpiece.
It’s remarkable what you can accomplish when people know where you’re going and how to get there.
David Grossman, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA, is one of America’s foremost authorities on communication and leadership, and a sought-after speaker and advisor to Fortune 500 leaders.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
10 Mistakes Every Leader Should Make
(and learn from) before They Die
I was driving to work the other day and the morning show hosts were doinga bit on a list someone created called "10 Mistakes Everyone Should Make Before They Die". While it was a lame bit, that, along with an email from reader Tim Eyre, gave me the idea for this blog post.
It’s been proven over and over again leadership development is all about experience. We learn from job changes, stretch assignments, other people, and other more formal ways (courses, books, blogs, etc…). It’s those experiences that are the hardest – those "developmental challenges" – that we can learn the most from. Lominger calls it "developmental heat".
A great way to assess someone during an interview is to ask about mistakes they’ve made. You’re looking for signs of self-awareness, humility, resiliency, and learning agility. The most successful people – those "A players" – can be remarkably candid and insightful about their mistakes and failures. However, the thing that sets them apart from those that just have a history of screwing up is that they always learn from their mistakes. They take a risk – fall down – pick themselves up and dust themselves off – reflect on what they’ve learned – learn new skills and behaviors, and incorporate them into their leadership repertoire.
They don’t point fingers, place blame, or make excuses – they own up and learn how not to do it again. Of course, it helps that they have a nice healthy track record of accomplishments to off-set those occasional mistakes.
I once heard an experienced manager call this "earning your scars".
OK, so when it comes to leadership mistakes, mistakes are good, right? The more the merrier!
Here’s 10 that every leader should make and learn from:
1. Take too long to fire a problem performer. This is probably the number one regret I hear the most, from seasoned executives to new team leaders. They waited too long to take action on a poor performer. They had their head in the sand in denial, thought they could perform a miracle and save the employee, or were aware of it and just didn’t want to face it.
2. Putting too much emphasis on credentials and experience in a hiring decision and not enough on personality and cultural fit. Been there, done that. It was my very first hiring decision. Candidate A has a Master’s degree and 10 years’ experience. However, former manager warned me about a "little temper problem". Candidate B had no degree and limited experience – but great relationship building skills and was seen as high potential. I hired A – and it was a disaster. B was later promoted to department manager. Lesson learned.
3. Not having a vision. Without a clear and compelling vision, it’s hard for teams or organizations to have a clear sense of purpose, priority, or mission. It’s just day-to-day, business as usual, and reactive. Too many new leaders overlook "the vision thing", perhaps because it’s too intangible or misunderstood. It’s also hard to connect the dots of operational problems back to not having a vision.
4. Not managing upwards. A lot of leaders operate under the assumption that "no news is good news", or "my performance speaks for itself" when it comes to their relationship with their hands-off or busy boss. While the autonomy may be nice, it’s important to keep your manager informed of your team’s accomplishments, and to build a solid relationship that can be leveraged when needed. It’s a bad assumption to assume your boss is aware of your good work and will be an advocate for your function when the going gets tough.
5. Overrelying on a few strengths and not paying attention to development. It’s all too easy to continue to fall back to the same handful of strengths that got you to where you are. However, without continuous development, you’ll soon stop growing and fall behind. The best leaders are always aware of their deficiencies and are always working to learn and get better.
6. Not listening. This one’s often a blind spot for leaders, and sometimes takes a two-by-four across the side of the head to get them to realize it’s a problem. Usually it’s a major screw-up as a result of not paying attention to what people are trying to tell them, some strong 360 data, turnover of key personal, or some kind of other pain that will turn them into a reformed poor listener.
7. Trying to be liked by everyone. Leaders can’t be their employee’s friends, and leading change usually means ruffling someone’s feathers. Being a leader means requires developing a thick skin and being able to take the heat without taking it personally.
8. Not asking for help. Driving around lost for hours because you’ve got too much pride to ask for directions might make a funny beer commercial, but as a leader, it can have disastrous consequences. At a minimum, it’s incredibly annoying when a leader just can’t admit when they don’t know how to do something.
9. Ignoring your peers. Some leaders make the mistake of only paying attention to their boss and employees (looking up and down), but fail to look sideways. The inability to build coalitions will prevent a leader from getting the cooperation and support needed in order to solve cross-functional problems or lead change.
10. Not seeking or being open to feedback. Two of my favorite "Good Things Bosses Believe", from Bob Sutton: "I have a flawed and incomplete understanding of what it feels like to work for me" and "Because I wield power over others, I am at great risk of acting like an insensitive jerk — and not realize it".
Wow, that list was way too easy to write! I have no idea where they came from……
However, I’ll bet it’s incomplete. What are some other mistakes that every leader needs to make in order to "earn their scars"?
This post is brought to you by JD Edwards services from Syntax.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
The Top 5 Mistakes Leaders Make
Guest post by Great Leadership regular contributor Beth Armknecht Miller:The Top 5 Leadership Mistakes: which one would your team members say you make?
Over the years, I have worked with hundreds of leaders many who have displayed specific leadership shortfalls, that when improved, have had a positive impact on the effectiveness and profitability of the organization. Both new and experienced manager/leaders can make these top five mistakes; which one is your Achilles heel? And what is your plan to improve?
1. Focusing on the Urgent and not the Important
How much time are you spending on activities that lead to your goals versus those that are urgent and unexpected? You would be surprised how many leaders fall into this trap. And it is a trap. In fact, I have worked with some leaders who get their "energy" from working in crisis mode.
The key is to set aside time on the calendar that is only for the important activities, and have the activities clearly prioritized so that when an urgent item is screaming at you, you can logically decide what important task can be set aside.
We all have crises, yet more often than not we move right into crisis mode before thinking through what can be moved off our plate of "importants". Create a process that works for you in which you can smoothly move from the urgent and then back to the important. Don’t get stuck in the urgent.
2. Lack of Consistent Communication
As far as I can tell, there is no such thing as over communication in the work place. If I had a nickel for every time a leader said to me "I told the company our (project, goal, etc), yet two weeks later they have totally forgotten the conversation", I’d be a very wealthy person.
In this age of information overload, employees have a lot to file away and process. Communications should be implemented frequently and consistently using a variety of methods since people have different learning styles. With the huge menu of communication technologies available to companies, messages should be delivered in person, electronically in written, audio, and video, as well as the old fashioned way, printed hard copy.
3. Ineffective Feedback
This is a result of providing delayed and unclear feedback. It often starts by ignoring the "small stuff" with the hope that the behavior won’t happen again. More often than not, the behavior is repeated, and becomes tolerated. And it can lead to conflict avoidance by a manager.
The best time to provide feedback is immediately after the behavior is observed. Be clear about what you observed, how it impacted you, and ask for ideas from your employee about how they could approach it in the future. And then get their commitment to make the change. This process focuses more on the future as the past can’t be changed, only the future.
4. Failing to Define Clear Goals
Employees need to understand how they will be measured and evaluated. Defining clear goals provides a roadmap for the employee. And more importantly, when an employee is part of her goal setting process, she has more ownership in successfully attaining her goals. Without goals, employees will not meet your performance expectations because they don’t know what they are.
5. Misunderstanding Motivation
After reading, Daniel Pink’s recent book Drive, I am convinced that leaders really need to rethink how they operate and create an environment that provides the foundation for employees to be intrinsically motivated. Too often managers think that changing the extrinsic motivators will lead to a change in behavior, and they can. The problem is that the change is not long term and sustainable.
Once you have met an employee’s baseline extrinsic motivators, salary and benefits, you should focus on creating a foundation that encourages, autonomy, mastery, and purpose. As Pink describes in his book, all humans are driven by these three attributes.
Autonomy is all about control of tasks, time, technique, and team. Mastery is providing an opportunity to get very good at something and to continue the process and understanding that you will never be perfect. It is the pursuit of perfection that motivates. And finally purpose, working for some greater good and not just profit. Profit provides a means for a company’s purpose. It is this final attribute that is found more often in smaller, entrepreneurial companies who are lead by younger leaders.
So which of these leadership mistakes would your team members say you exhibit? And what is your plan of action to develop a way of avoiding these mistakes in the future?
Beth Armknecht Miller, of Atlanta, Georgia, is Founder and President of Executive Velocity, a leadership development advisory firm accelerating the leadership success of CEOs and business leaders. She is also a Vistage Chair and Executive Coach. She is certified in Myers Briggs and Hogan leadership assessment tools and is a Certified Managerial Coach by Kennesaw State University.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Inspire People to Change
Here's an encore guest post by Paul Thornton:Leaders not only challenge us but also inspire us to take action. Some leaders post quotes in their office as reminders to inspire themselves and others.
Here are a few examples.
"Make It a WOW Experience!" —Sign in the office of Kate T. Labor, Vice President-Customer Support, Systems, and Software.
"I will change one life today!" —In the article, "Understanding the Importance of Rituals," author Justin W. Carter said that this sign was in the front office of a small company. As employees entered the office, they tapped the sign with their hand. This ritual instantly reminded them of the importance of their mission.
"Bring Energy!" —Sign on the desk of Maxine Clark, Founder and Chief Executive Bear, Build-A-Bear Workshop.
"Prove Your Groove." —Sign on the office wall of Peter H. Reynolds CEO/Owner, FableVision Enterprises.
"The Buck Starts Here!" —Sign on the desk of Donald Trump.
Leaders inspire us by what they say, how they say it, and what they do. You must believe in yourself, your employees, and your message.
What Leaders Say
Leaders speak the truth about what is—current reality and about what’s possible—their vision. They keep it real but also identify opportunities for a better future. Leaders use words that are positive, affirming, uplifting, and encouraging. They inspire us by making us feel good about ourselves.
We all want to feel respected, valued, useful, and part of something important and successful. Package your message in a way that connects to these universal feelings. In addition, you can inspire people by tapping into their core values. Emotions and values are the spark that get us excited and energized.
The words leaders say that inspire us include:
Ø Telling Stories. Stories that describe setbacks, great struggle, hard work, perseverance, and eventual success inspire us to press on and achieve demanding goals.
What’s your inspiring story?
Ø Affirming Statements. Leaders inspire us by telling us we have the ability and talent to be successful. Doug Conant former President and CEO of Campbell’s Soups said that in graduate school his grades started to slide. He was working two jobs and taking a full course load. His favorite professor pulled him into his office and said, "You can do better." Those four words touched him, affirmed him, and inspired him.
Who have you affirmed in the last two days?
Ø Planting Seeds. Leaders inspire us by getting us to see ourselves performing a bigger role. They plant seeds with comments such as, "I can see you leading our international marketing campaign."
Ø Encouraging People. One of my mentors always encouraged me to pursue bigger goals. Whether I was applying for a new job, considering graduate school, or starting my own business, her consistent response was: "Now’s your time. Believe in yourself and your goals. I’m confident you can do it."
Who are you encouraging to pursue loftier goals?
Ø Empowering People. Ralph Stayer, former CEO of Johnsonville Foods, inspired his employees and built their confidence by empowering them. He gave people power and authority to get things done. When leaders empower us, they’re saying, "I have confidence in you."
How Leaders Say It
Leaders deliver their message with passion and conviction. Check out some of the YouTube videos of Tom Peters, Pat Summit, Colin Powell, and Tony Blair. Observe how animated and passionate they are. If you don’t have enthusiasm for your ideas, who will? A passionate speaker gets the audience to sit up, open up, and fully consider the key points. You must have great conviction for what you’re advocating. Leaders have no doubts, no hesitation, and no questions about the correctness of their ideas and recommendations. If you’re not fully committed to what you’re doing, why should anyone else?
Do you deliver your message with passion and conviction?
What Leaders Do
They set the example. When change is taking place all eyes are on the leader. Setting an example is a powerful way of inspiring people. People can’t ignore what you do. Leaders are often the first to take action. Their actions are strong and decisive. You increase your influence exponentially by adding highly visible examples to your words. Author and Artist, Susan Conroy said that the best example of leadership she got was from Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Susan states, "I made my first trip to work with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity in 1986. Mother Teresa inspired us by her example." Every day she was a consistent role model of humble service.
What example are you setting for your people?
Problems Related to Inspiring People
1. Some leaders lack optimism. Others are too optimistic and are thought to be out of touch with reality.
2. Some leaders aren’t inspiring because they are flat in their delivery. They lack energy and conviction when presenting their message.
3. Some leaders don’t create a sense of urgency. There is no burning platform so people are reluctant to jump into the water.
4. Some leaders talk a good game, but don’t back it up with action.
What Can You Do
First, inspire yourself. Discover what gets you excited. Second, think about your life stories. What challenges and obstacles have you faced and overcome? Craft your own personal stories that you can use to inspire others. Third, build your vocabulary. Ed Zimmer, Founder and President, Zimmer Foundation says that a large vocabulary helps you select the best words to sell your ideas and inspire people to change.
The Author:
Paul B. Thornton, MBA, M.Ed., is an author, trainer, and professor of business administration at Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, Massachusetts. He has provided leadership training for over 10,000 supervisors and managers. This article is an excerpt from his new e-book,
WHAT I TEACH ABOUT…LEADERSHIP.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
The Future of Leadership Development
A colleague from another business school recommended the book, The Future of Leadership Development, Corporate Needs and the Role of Business Schools, edited by IESE Business School Dean Jordi Canals. She said it helped set the direction for her executive development program and really got her thinking about our profession.All of the content is written by business school professors and deans and much of it deals with MBA programs, so my practitioner readers may find it….well, academic. That’s corporate code word for deadly boring and irrelevant.
However, it was interesting enough for me to wade through it and jot down a few nuggets that I thought were worth sharing.
BTW, I’m also halfway through Physics of the Future, by Michio Kaku, so I’ve been thinking a lot about the future these days. This one actually creeps me out. It makes "The Matrix" and "The Terminator" look rosily optimistic.
Anyway, here are 10 current and potential trends for leadership development that shouldn’t creep anyone out too much, from the book and with my own embellishment:
1. The use of coaching in leadership development programs.
There are pros and cons to both group and individual leadership development. Groups facilitate networking and shared learning, and are efficient, but may miss the mark for some. Individual coaching is "all about you", but is expensive. Why not combine them both, like a Reese’s Peanut Butter cup? I’m seeing more university based executive development programs incorporate both individual and small group coaching into their design (CCL’s been doing it forever). Coaching is even starting to work its way into some MBA programs, which is good news for the coaching industry.
The challenge for business schools will be that most of their faculty don’t have coaching expertise and credentials, so when it’s outsourced, it’s often not fully integrated into the program.
2. Senior leadership development.
Lots of people are planning to work beyond the traditional retirement age, and many of them are looking to make a career change (moving into a not-for-profit, etc…). There are plenty of "Youth" leadership development programs - why not a transition program for seniors? Maybe you could get 20% off the registration cost with your AARP membership.
3. Building Block leadership development programs.
This would be kind of an umbrella concept which would include senior programs. The idea is that leadership development needs are very different depending on your age and where you are in your career. Instead of getting an MBA in your 20s and then that’s it, why not break it up into phases and make it a lifelong educational experience? While this one’s a bit self-serving for the business schools, the concept of life cycle leadership development is intriguing.
4. Social responsibility.
Some say the organization of the future will be more socially responsibility – that profits will not even be the primary mission of an organization. This new business model will require a different model of leadership development – one that pays more attention to ethics, the environment, how decisions impact the community and society, and human rights.
5. Global leadership development.
While not really a trend – globalization has been going on for decades – the world continues to get smaller. Global leadership development isn’t just for the big multinationals anymore, and we’ll continue to look for innovative ways to develop a global mindset.
6.Virtual reality.
Second Life, simulations, avatars, virtual reality, gaming, and artificial intelligence all have the potential to change the way we develop leaders. These technologies have the potential to develop higher level competencies, like critical thinking and emotional intelligence, in a safe, accelerated, and realistic environment. Need to prepare for an upcoming performance review? There’s an app for that!
7. Liberal Arts and the "soft stuff".
Business schools have been slow to catch on to the importance of the "soft stuff", while instead continuing to teach their MBAs analytical and quantitative skills. Some are even starting to question the value of a traditional MBA. In response, will business degrees and leadership development programs begin to integrate more "liberal arts" into their programs? In browsing some of the program descriptions for executive development programs, it appears the humanities, arts, and social sciences are beginning to infiltrate some of the more innovative programs.
8. "The Apprentice" model for leadership development.
No, not the Donald Trump reality show. The idea is to develop leaders like we develop other skills trades – though hands-on doing vs. classroom learning, experiential learning, shadowing, mentoring, and certification. Why not? We do it with doctors, lawyers, electricians, and engineers – why not for the profession of management?
9. Those that teach have been there and done it.
In the professions mentioned above (doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc…), the teachers usually, if not always, have extensive work experience. Why shouldn’t we demand the same from our leadership professors, instructors, and coaches? This could be a great way to tap into the knowledge and experience of "senior" executives that are looking to transition into teaching, instead of relying so heavily on professional instructors.
10. Woman’s leadership development.
Instead of force fitting woman into a male model of problem solving, decision making, and leadership, progressive organizations are starting to recognize that there is tremendous value in cultivating both male and female ways of leading. One is not better than the other, but having an equal balance of both will give you a competitive advantage.
What do you think? What’s the future hold for leadership development?
Monday, April 16, 2012
How to Lead Yourself When the Boss is Not Around
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work for an organization and not have a boss breathing down your neck?Sure, everyone – even entrepreneurs and CEOs answer to someone. However, there are jobs that are so far down the deep end of the empowerment continuum that it feels like you’re on your own with little or no supervision. In many organizations and occupations, "management by walking around" and micromanagement have fell by the wayside, either by design or out of necessity. Organizations are flatter, spans of control have increased, and hundreds of thousands of employees now work from home.
I’m in one of those positions. I run Executive Development Programs at a large university. The search committee and the Dean told me they were looking for a self-starter that could work with a high degree of autonomy. They weren’t kidding.
While it might sound like a great deal, working independently offers its own set of challenges. After all, the role of "manager" must have been invented for a reason, right? As much as we like to complain about our managers, some of them – the ones who can actually lead – can be inspiring, motivational, and help us do more than we could have on our own. In the absence of that kind of leadership, it’s up to us to lead ourselves. Here are a few things I’ve learned about self-leadership that might work for you:
1. Have a clear set of values or principles.
That’s leadership 101, right? Well, it’s just as important to have a clear set of values when leading yourself as it is when leading others. It’s about making the right choice when no one’s watching.
2. Have an "ownership" mindset.
You run that little piece of the world like it’s your own business. It’s your balance sheet and income statement, and there’s no one to point fingers at if you make a mistake. Accountability is a must.
3. Develop a vision, set of 2-3 year goals, and actions plans.
Having goals is a habit I developed years ago and take it with me wherever I go. It’s a lot more energizing too when you get to create them because you want to, not because someone’s making you do it.
4. Develop measures.
Without a boss, you have to monitor your own performance. Objective, measurable performance indicators help prevent us from getting delusional about how good or bad we think we’re doing.
5. Develop an informal "Advisory Board".
Identify a small group of stakeholders that can give you hard, honest feedback, will listen to your ideas, and offer great advice.
6. Cultivate strong relationships with your peers and other key stakeholders.
In the absence of direct supervision, peers can offer the support you need to get things done, collaborate on problems and opportunities, and offer encouragement. The strength of your peer relationships is also a strong indicator of your leadership potential; in the absence of direct observation, your manager will heavily weigh the observations of your peers and others.
7. Make sure there are "check and balances" in place.
When it comes to signing contracts, spending money, selecting vendors, hiring decisions, and anything where you could be exposed to allegations of favoritism, always review these decisions with someone else – even if you’re not required to. In the absence of a "the buck stops here" manager, you need to find someone else to play that role. It could be a hard-nosed peer, the CFO, HR, the company attorney, whatever – someone who’s willing to call you out if needed.
8. Keep your boss informed.
Your boss may not require or want regular meetings or updates – but do ‘em anyways. If you can’t get the regular meetings, then at least provide regular updates on key decisions, achievements, metrics, and a head’s up on any problems that might end up finding their way to your manager’s desk.
9. Stick to a schedule.
Disciplined time management is essential when you’re not punching the clock and no one’s watching. You values should be your guide here.
10. Celebrate your achievements.
Give yourself a pat on the back now and then. Brag to your spouse or friends. Keeping yourself motivated though positive recognition is just as important as kicking yourself in the rear when things go bad. Go ahead, take a bow.
How about you – anything to add?
Thursday, April 12, 2012
How Leaders Can Build a Change-Friendly Culture
Guest post by Lisa Jackson and Gerry Schmidt:It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.
– Charles Darwin
Organizations today are caught in a leadership perfect storm. The forces of internet transparency, rapid technology and young generations demanding empowerment are challenging organizations of all sizes across every industry to sail differently. Yes change is a constant … but it has bigger waves and smaller waves. Currently, we are about 25 years into a 50-year cycle of massive transformation. At the end of this cycle, every part of our society will be unrecognizable. *History tells us this is the 8th mass transformational era since the dawn of writing. This particular stage is unprecedented in its global scale and speed. No industry or economic power is immune.
In such an era, existing power structures crumble like the levees in New Orleans. What flows forth are new, transparent, and ways of thinking and leading in a global society. Leaders who can harness people together in shared power, collaboration, and transparency will help their organizations avoid extinction.
What is required of leaders to make this transition?
Think Sherpa. Leaders today need to focus less on traditional methods of strategy and more on preparing people for a very different kind of technical climb: Achieving and sustaining competitive advantage amidst short life cycles. The climb requires more than good equipment. It’s mental as much as physical. A storm or unpredictable conditions can strike at any moment. Leaders must exhibit fearlessness to show people how to expect, notice and respond to anything.
There are 5 characteristics leaders must strengthen to build a culture that embraces change:
1) Clarity. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is a clear, visible goal. Such clarity is typically absent for people, and yet is the single most important criteria for building a change-friendly culture. When every person in the company can recite "What is our goal?" (an inspiring version of "How we define success") it creates unity and alignment. Defining success in financial terms doesn’t inspire anyone beyond the top few people in the company. Use language like "Be the best _______________." Clarity stops the feeding frenzy on change programs. It provides clear guidance to start saying "no" to most initiatives and "Yes" to what will create competitive advantage and move you towards the vision.
[Our success] comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don't get on the wrong track or try to do too much – Steve Jobs
2) Role Models. "Be the change you want to see." Nelson Mandela’s wisdom is essential in a change-friendly culture. There’s no substitute for being a role model for what you are asking people to do, because people believe what you do more than what you say. Leaders who tout values of "empowerment" or "collaboration" and default to barking orders in high-stress situations undermine people’s desire to change. People don’t resist change - they resist being changed. In a change-friendly culture, leaders demonstrate how programs and initiatives are part of the same path to the vision. As well, they initiate "inviting conversations" about change versus a feeling of "mandatory draft." Asking good questions and providing outlets to discuss change are important tools in this era of leadership.
3) Right-Sizing Empowerment. Workplace engagement is the heartbeat of your business. But true engagement is not a program … it’s simply what human beings DO. You can’t get it by copying infamous Gen Y party tricks and concierge benefits. Think about this for a moment: What engages you fully? When you become lost in what you’re doing, passionate about it, in the "flow" – what’s true? If you’re like most of us, you chose it, you see an opportunity to learn or grow, it connects you to something bigger and more meaningful, you have some autonomy. Are those qualities mirrored in how teams are set up and decisions are made in your company? These are the basic conditions for engagement. Anything else is window dressing.
4) Bias to Act for the Customer. There is a lot of rhetoric on innovation and its companion, risk-taking. The type of risk that works in a change-friendly culture is "decisive experimentation." Stop talking and start learning by taking small steps toward the right things (see #1). Change-friendly cultures have socialized ways of working that encourage and reward smart experimentation that is tethered directly to their customer (internal or external). Try it … course-correct … adjust … expand. In a change-friendly culture every part of the company is in this cycle (Accounting, HR, Customer Support, Product Development). Every team knows who it serves and has a bias to act on the customer’s behalf.
5) Procreate DNA. Your company culture – grounded in clear values – is a stabilizing force during change, like climbing ropes. What can people hold onto and count on, that never changes and keeps them anchored to the familiar and comforting? A crucial factor in helping people embrace change is knowing what is stable. Cultures that are change-friendly are systematic in passing on the DNA of their culture. "Know thyself" and talk about it. To build a positive workplace culture, you must name it, celebrate it, and pass it onto new generations through leaders.
Lisa Jackson and Gerry Schmidt are corporate culture experts and authors of the book "Transforming Corporate Culture: 9 Natural Truths for Being Fit to Compete." They offer a proven method to teach leaders how to evolve their corporate cultures to perform better, innovate faster, and show they truly care about people in an unprecedented era of rapid change and transformation.
Friday, April 6, 2012
10 Ways to Improve Your Credibility
To build on the "trust" theme from my last post, here's a guest post from performance coach Darryl Rosen:Leaders and managers spend a lot of time and effort figuring out how to develop their people’s talent, shape their performance, and motivate them to improve.
But when was the last time you focused on yourself? Specifically, how’s your credibility? Does it need some attention? Here are 10 ways to boost your credibility with associates, customers, and everyone else within your sphere of influence.
1. Demonstrate ownership and a sense of urgency. Your associates and customers want a quick turnaround when they have a problem or concern. Show them they matter.
2. Be clear on when you will respond. When a problem or concern arises, quickly communicate details on how you will fix the issue, and ensure it doesn’t happen again.
3. Return calls and emails promptly. Don’t let emails sit in your inbox unanswered, and don’t hide behind your voicemail—especially if you’ve made a mistake. Be reachable.
4. Meet face-to-face when possible. Email is handy, but it isn’t the right mode of communication for resolving conflicts, having discussions, or expressing feelings.
5. Be open, candid, and transparent. Don’t withhold information that you should be sharing. Don’t force others to ask for the truth; volunteer it. Being open instills trust.
6. Earn trust—don’t ask for it. The worst thing a manager can say is "Trust me!" Build credibility with your actions and you’ll never have to ask for it.
7. Follow through with agreements. If you say you’re going to do something, do it. Never make others beg for information that you said you would provide.
8. Admit your mistakes. Be accountable for your actions. Nothing destroys credibility more than blaming everyone else and refusing to point your finger at yourself.
9. Restate commitments. If a customer or associate agrees to anything, restate back to them what they’ve just agreed to. That way there will be surprises—from you or from them.
10. Set a good example. If you blame others, worry, get hysterical, do things in a mediocre way, have disorganized methods, or fail to see others’ potential, so will your associates.
Darryl Rosen has many years of experience running an internationally renowned company and is now a leading performance coach for managers and sales professionals. His newest book is Table for Three? Bringing Your Smart Phone to Lunch and 50 Dumb Mistakes Smart Managers Don’t Make!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
20 Signs That You Can’t be Trusted as a Leader
by Dan McCarthy
"Trust is the lubrication that makes it possible for organizations to work."- Leadership Guru Warren Bennis
"In leadership, there are no words more important than trust. In any organization, trust must be developed among every member of the team if success is going to be achieved."
- Duke Basketball Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski
"If I can’t trust you, then I can’t work with you – end of story."
- Leadership Blogger Dan McCarthy
"The lion and the calf shall lie down together but the calf won’t get much sleep."
- Woody Allen
Are you a trustworthy leader? Take the assessment below. Sure, everybody may do a few of these now and then. However, if there’s a consistent pattern of multiple behaviors, then I’d say there’s a serious issue of trustworthiness.
1. You don’t do what you said you were going to do.
2. You overpromise and under deliver.
3. You’re unpredictable and inconsistent.
4. You always seem to have a hidden agenda.
5. You’ll agree just to avoid conflict.
6. You never share anything personal about yourself.
7. You never seem to finish anything you start.
8. You have a reputation that says you can’t be trusted.
9. You’re never willing to take a stand.
10. You won’t listen.
11. You don’t seem interested in what’s important to others.
12. You gossip about other people and disclose confidential information.
13. You make decisions but don’t explain how and why you made the decision.
14. You often change your plans or mind and don’t tell others about it or explain why.
15. You come across as uncompassionate and insensitive.
16. You won’t admit your mistakes or acknowledge your weaknesses.
17. You misrepresent other’s views.
18. You’ll say anything to achieve your objectives and results.
19. You sugarcoat the truth.
20. You see others as a threat when they are successful or come up with good ideas.
Anything to add to the list?
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
How to Handle Disengagement During Meetings
by Dan McCarthy
Guest post by Great Leadership regular contributor Beth Armknecht Miller:Have you ever been in a meeting where one person decided to display a negative attitude? You know, the person who starts reading his PDA, or the other one who suddenly falls quiet, or what about the one who starts to slide down his chair and on to the floor. Well if you are the one in charge of the meeting what is your role in this dysfunction? I recently heard a speaker, who was talking about the culture of accountability say, "You get what you put up with". Bad behavior and rudeness happen because people continually get away with it.
So lets break down bad behavior into three primary categories:
1. Checked out or disengaged
2. Negative
3. Rude
Because of the proliferation of PDAs, I want to specifically discuss the scenario of disengagement. Reading PDAs and "multi-tasking" have become common place in business meetings. So you are leading a meeting and notice that one or more participants are texting or reading email on their smartphones. What options do you have at this point in time? First, you need to assess if this is a theme or an instance i.e. does the person disengaging have a reputation for checking out and not actively participating or is this something unusual for the team member. If this person has a reputation for disengaging then it should be addressed within the meeting. As the leader of the team you have the following options:
1. You can ignore the behavior, limiting the team to less than high performance and continue the dysfunction by not managing the bad behavior. If this is your choice, you may want reevaluate why you are managing a team.
2. You have the option of communicating to the person that you recognize that they are not currently part of the meeting. Ask them "Is there something urgent that you need to take care of at this time?" It may be that an emergency has come up which she needs to address. And if this is the case and she is key to the meeting, then reschedule the meeting. If she isn't key to the meeting, then dismiss her to her emergency. However, in my experience this usually isn't the case.
3. You can wait until after the meeting and then pull the person aside to discuss what was driving the behavior. If there wasn't an emergency, find out how they think their behavior impacts the meeting, other team members, as well as their effectiveness in the job.
4. You can wait for an opportunity to ask her a pointed question specific to the conversation, such as "What do you think of Rick's idea? This will either bring the person back into the conversation and/or will create a moment of embarrassment. Depending on their response, you may need to have a follow on conversation with them one on one.
5. Or you can address the whole team and open the discussion to everyone. What are their thoughts about team members checking out? What would their suggestions be to become a more high performing team and have everyone engaged? This option may uncover process or content issues of the meeting that you haven't considered may be part of the disengaging behaviors.
So as a leader it is your choice, allow the dysfunction to continue and you may wake up without a job in the future. Or, address the issue and set the tone for more productive meetings that will lead to team success.
Beth Armknecht Miller, of Atlanta, Georgia, is Founder and President of Executive Velocity, a leadership development advisory firm accelerating the leadership success of CEOs and business leaders. She is also a Vistage Chair and Executive Coach. She is certified in Myers Briggs and Hogan leadership assessment tools and is a Certified Managerial Coach by Kennesaw State University.
When I first started out in the corporate training business, I was responsible for training new managers and supervisors. We had a mandatory three week program that covered all the usual HR and operational topics, including performance management. In performance management, we would spend most of the time teaching managers how to deal with performance issues, and about two hours teaching them how to deal with good performance.
It wasn’t that we didn’t think positive reinforcement – or praise was important – it’s just that it seemed like such a no-brainer, and other than offering the usual "be specific, timely, and sincere", we ran out of things to teach very quickly. It was actually one of their favorite training days, because we always ended up letting them out early.
And we wondered why employee satisfaction was so low and turnover so high. Looking back, it seems pretty "dumb and dumber" doesn’t it?
Fast forward to today, and I’m afraid things haven’t changed too much. Research shows that ‘appreciation for a job well done’ consistently ranks highly as a motivator in employee surveys. Yet research also shows that most people don’t feel they get enough praise.
Why is praise such an undervalued and underused management skill? Maybe it’s because we still believe the following myths regarding giving praise:
1. "You can overdo it."
Well, maybe in theory, I suppose that’s possible. In fact, some would say we’ve raised a generation of kids that have received too much praise. If that’s true, it sure hasn’t carried over to the workplace. I can prove it: try conducting this experiment with any group of employees. Ask them "how many of you receive too much praise from your manager"? I’ve been doing this poll for over 20 years, and I’ve never seen a single hand go up. As a manager, yes, it’s a risk that your employees might get sick of all that praise you’re giving them, but I think it’s a risk worth taking.
2. "It’s easy!"
Sure, it’s easy to say "good job". The hard part is describing the specific behaviors or characteristics that went into getting the good results. It’s the same in our personal relationships. How many of us mechanically tell our spouses or kids that we love them, but never take the time to tell them why we love them?
In my experience, managers (and people in general) just aren’t very good at coming up with ways to describe competencies (knowledge, skills, behaviors, attitudes) in a way that’s meaningful. I’d recommend purchasing a dictionary of competencies – like Lominger’s FYI – to use as a resource guide until it begins to feel more natural.
3. "It’s all about technique."
Yes, learning how to give praise is important – but it’s so much more than a skill building exercise. More importantly, the willingness and ability to give praise is a value, or a mindset.
People that are overly judgmental, suspicious by nature, insecure, and aloof will often treat praise like a scarce resource, only to be rationed out in small quantities in the most extraordinary of circumstances.
People that are good at giving praise tend to see people, and the world, with a different set of eyes. They look for the positive, and can see good in people and situations that the rest of us can’t see.
The good news is, minds can be changed and attitudes can be learned. But it’s much harder than practicing skill technique!
4. "Not everyone needs or wants praise." Or, "They know it – so they don’t need to hear it from me".
The need to feel valued and appreciated is a basic human need. It transcends culture, race, gender, and age. Sure, some people say they don’t need or want praise – and they may even believe it. They may be uncomfortable receiving praise, and respond in an awkward way that makes you feel uncomfortable. However – I guarantee you – these same people are the ones taking that report card, performance appraisal, or email home and showing it to their family or keeping it as a memento.
Unless you are told outright to stop it – keep doing it. After all, it’s about making the receiver feel good, not you.
5. "It takes too much time".
"No time to do it" = low in priority. Period, no excuses. With the right mindset (looking for the positive, sincerity), and right skills (specific and timely), giving praise will motivate your employees, improve your relationships, and at the end of the day, make you a better person. Not a bad ROI for 30 seconds of your time.
Ready to turn over a new leaf but not sure where to start? Here’s what you can do today to get started:
Pick one person. It could be a spouse, your child, friend, co-worker, or employee – and think of one thing they’ve recently done that you really appreciated. Or, it could be one characteristic that you really admire about them. Write down the specific behaviors or traits that made you feel that way, and why. If you’re struggling, ask someone for help.
Then, tell the person. Use email, phone, in person, Skype, whatever…., it doesn’t matter. Just beware – experiencing people’s reactions to sincere, specific praise can cause prolonged euphoria and be highly addictive. Don’t overdo it! Start with a once a week dosage, then gradually increase frequency until your body chemistry stabilizes.
Good luck!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
How to Discuss a Problem with Your Manager
by Dan McCarthy
When you’ve been a manager for a long time, or are used to working with lots of managers, you sometimes forget how hard it is for an employee to approach their boss to discuss something that’s bothering them.For many employees, the thought of "confronting" a boss can be so intimidating, that they will come up with all sorts of other ways to cope with the situation, including:
- Avoidance
- Being a victim
- Passive aggressiveness
- Discussing the problem with their co-workers, friends, and family
- Dropping subtle hints hoping the boss with get the message
- And sometimes, even looking for another job or quitting!
Yes, it’s true, some employees would rather leave an otherwise good job instead of initiating a discussion with their manager to discuss whatever’s bothering them.
Here’s a recent conversation I had with a young employee:
Employee: "I think my boss isn’t happy with me. She’s going to fire me".
Me: "Really? What’s she upset about?"
Employee: "I don’t know, but I can tell she’s upset".
Me: "Have you talked to her about it?"
Employee: "OMG, I can’t do that. Do you think I should quit before she fires me?"
Me: "Quit? Seriously? You don’t even know what’s going on! Why don’t you just sit down and talk with her?"
Employee: "Ha, easy for you to say! You do this HR touchy feely stuff all the time. Where would I even start?"
And that’s when I realized I didn’t have a good grasp as to where this young employee was coming from. I’ve written plenty of posts on How to Discuss an Employee Performance Problem but have never really provided guidance on how to have a similar conversation sitting on the other side of the table.
Why talk to your boss?
Why is talking to your boss better than the other alternatives mentioned previously? Because there really can’t be a bad outcome – you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Let’s use the scenario above – you sense something is bothering your boss – maybe she’s been abrupt with you, critical, avoiding you, or whatever. If you don’t do anything, the situation usually doesn’t improve and you might end up doing something stupid, like quitting or losing your temper.
However, if you talk to your boss, chances are, one of four things will happen:
1. Your boss may have had no idea that whatever he/she was doing or not doing was having an impact on you. In other words, they might have been clueless, and by you bringing it to their attention (in a respectful, constructive way), they can easily correct it. As a manager, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on the receiving end of these kinds of discussions. Unless you’re a total jerk, you welcome the opportunity to clarify your intentions and fix your behavior.
2. Your boss may be dealing with some other issue that has nothing to do with you, and again, was unaware of his/her behavior. Bosses are human and can have bad days and personal problems, just like anyone else.
3. In either scenarios #1 & #2, your boss may be perfectly happy with your performance, and you’ll feel much better knowing that (and withdraw those job applications on Monster).
4. Your boss may actually be upset with you – and for some reason, has been avoiding telling you. Unfortunately, many bosses also don’t like confrontation and aren’t very good at it. In this case, you’ll at least have an opportunity to find out what the problem is. Once you know that, you can work on making it better. If it’s something you can’t make better or don’t want to, then at least you’ll know where you stand and can pursue other options for the right reasons.
How to approach your boss
1. Make a 30 minute appointment to talk to your boss. As a manager, I prefer this approach over the drop in "do you have a minute", although it really depends on your boss’s style. In either case, it’s always better to try to catch your boss during a less hectic time of day and when she/her is having a good week.
2. Decide what you want to say and how you want to say it. Talk your concern over with a mentor and decide how to present the issue in a constructive, assertive, specific, and factual way. I’d even suggest role playing the discussion with your mentor or a trusted friend. Do not discuss it with your co-workers, your manager’s manager, or HR unless it’s a serious violation, i.e., harassment.
3. Describe the behavior (not your assumptions about possible intentions) and the impact of the behavior on you. Try to be as specific as possible. Example: "Barb, yesterday, when I said hello to you, you walked right by me without saying anything. In the past, you’ve always said hello when we see each other, but I notice lately you haven’t been. It’s making me feel like you’re mad at me for something. Is there something I’ve done to upset you?"
4. Listen, don’t be defensive, and ask clarifying questions. Again, best case scenario is there isn’t really a problem and your boss wasn’t aware of the impact of his/her behavior. If there really is a problem, and the problem is you, then great, you’re on the road to solving it! Study up on 18 Tips for Receiving Feedback.
5. Work with you manager to solve the problem. Offer your own suggestions, and ask your manager for ideas. Ask your manager to describe what it would look like when you are meeting expectations. Read 10 Ways to be a Great Follower.
6. Thank your manager for his/her time and willingness to discuss the issue with you. If appropriate, set up a 15 minute follow-up meeting to check in and make sure things are back on track.
I hope that helps to give more employees the confidence to talk with their managers – or maybe even their parents, teachers, or anyone in a position of authority. Good luck!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
18 Tips for Receiving Feedback
DO:1. Seek feedback on a regular basis, especially after you have identified development goals. Exchanging information and perceptions is a process, not a single event.
2. Receive feedback as a gift that provides you with honest information about your perceived behavior/performance. Be open to what you will hear.
3. Let the person finish what he or she is saying.
4. Try to paraphrase what you are being told, either back to the person or in your own mind.
5. Ask clarifying questions.
6. Ask for specifics, if not provided.
7. Ask the person to give you alternatives to your behavior.
8. Monitor your nonverbal and emotional responses.
9. Thank the person for being helpful to you.
10. Take the time after the feedback interaction to evaluate the information and consider specific actions for improvements.
11. Teach yourself to recognize situations in which a certain behavior needs to be altered. Feedback can help you self-monitor your behavior at times when you are less than optimally effective.
12. Use feedback to clarify goals, track progress toward those goals, and to improve the effectiveness of your behaviors over a period of time.
DON’T:
13. Take it personally.
14. Become defensive or explain your behavior. (You can either spend your time mobilizing your defenses or you can spend your time listening. Defending your actions is counterproductive, where listening is extremely useful.)
15. Interrupt the other person.
16. Be afraid to allow pauses and periods of silence when you receive feedback. This gives you time to understand what is being said and it gives the other person time to think about what they say.
17. Ask the person to defend his or her opinion (there is a difference between "defending" and "explaining"). Feedback is purely subjective perceptions of information. You can place your own value on it later.
18. Don’t make excuses or try to explain your behavior.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Five Qualities to Identify High Potentials
April 10th, 2012 | Author: Beth Armknecht Miller, President and Executive Coach, Executive Velocity Inc As business leaders, it is important to be able to see and cultivate the employees who will be the future of the company—and direct its present course. These high potentials, as they are known, can be identified in a number of ways, but are you identifying them in your business? Or are these emerging leaders slipping through the cracks—maybe to another company that will identify their ability to rise through the company ranks?
Quite a few different metrics exist among companies and the support systems companies use, and the methods they use to identify high potentials. But a review of expert opinions on the subject shows that there is actually quite a lot of consistency across the board when it comes to what qualities high potentials have—and knowing these qualities will help you be on the lookout those who possess then in your own company.
First of all, it’s important to know how to go about finding high potentials. Yes, they may have certain definable qualities, but how do you figure out who has those qualities? Several different methods are used by different organizations, but a survey by the HR consultants ERC of twenty-six organizations revealed that the most-used practices are identification through skills and personality assessment through testing, and reviews by peers, managers, and clients.
And now, the most burning question of all—what qualities make a high potential? How can you find the emerging leaders in your company and spend the resources developing them so they can become the high level executives of tomorrow, when you want to make sure your company is in good hands? So here are the qualities based on research conducted at places such as Cornell and Rutgers.
Ambition
Individuals with high potential are, unsurprisingly, ambitious. Of course, it takes a certain amount of ambition to move careers forward, but these high potentials are competitive, goal-oriented, and they take active steps to improve themselves and learn the things necessary to progress. This, naturally, takes a work ethic of steel, so make sure to recognize those people who always have their nose to the grindstone.
Attitude
High potentials don’t waste time being negative and doing their own thing—it’s all about the positive with them, and they infect their peers and supervisors with their good attitudes. They’re team players, and they create long-lasting relationships with the people they work with. But they don’t merely want a team of people who are just like them; high potentials value the assets that diversity and many differing points of view can bring. And, another check on the attitude list? High potentials have a great deal of integrity and professionalism. They can be trusted to make the company not only look good, but be good, as well.
Critical Thinking & Communication
Critical thinking and strong communication skills are not possessed by every employee, but it is critical that those you select as emerging leaders do. This means they can reason their way through complicated problems and consider several options simultaneously. But critical thinking without constructive communication is useless—and again, this is where a high potential is a team player who can communicate their ideas with others, and listen to their ideas as well to come up with even better ideas.
Expertise
It goes without saying that an employee who is going to move forward in their career must exhibit a broad technical expertise in whatever their role may be. Not only that, but a high potential should be able to understand their role in relation to the overall function of the company.
Boldness
Last of all, a high potential must have a quality that goes beyond ambition and skill: the boldness and courage to take risks. A high potential is a risk-taker who knows that every cost-benefit analysis can’t deliver a promise of how a venture will go, and can decide whether or not to go ahead anyway, rather than be crippled by uncertainty. They know that change comes, and they adapt to it and thrive rather than holding onto past practices—and even better, they will make those changes themselves. This quality will ensure that as they move forward, your business does too.
So look around you: which of your employees are thriving where they are, and which ones are high potentials who are going to lead your company ahead?
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Four Steps to be an Effective Influencer in the Workplace
May 7th, 2012 | Author: Beth Armknecht Miller, President and Executive Coach, Executive Velocity Inc Your currency in the workplace lies in your ability to persuade. You have to make decisions, and those people who are most effective at influencing the outcome of choices will find greater success. Whether you are seeking a raise, looking to close a sale or simply want to get ahead, having more control means bettering your odds of getting what you want.
But not everyone is gifted with a command of the fine art of persuasion. If it doesn’t come naturally to you, here are four steps you can use to become a master persuader.
1. Establish Credibility
Before you can wield influence, you have to establish your credibility. Having a strong opinion isn’t enough. According to Kim Harris, a writer and consultant with Cutting Edge PR, credibility comes from not only from demonstrated knowledge but also from building relationships and proving that you are a team player. Those with established credibility "have demonstrated over time that they can be trusted to listen and to work in the best interests of others," Harris writes.
2. Know the Facts
While knowledge is important for building credibility, it is crucial for backing up your position. Pointing to credible evidence and hard-to-dispute facts means you are more likely to be successful in your efforts. However, don’t go overboard. Too many stats, studies and statements might just lose you your audience. Simple is better, writes Steve Roesler on his All Things Workplace website."Resist the urge to show off your knowledge and sophistication and keep it simple," he said. Don’t forget, easy to remember names and ideas work best.
3. Listen and Be Flexible
Persuasion and communication are both two-way streets, so you must be adept at more than just talking. Don’t bluster your way through a presentation without taking note of the body language of your audience. You may need to adapt and improvise, according to CareerBright.com: "We all are different and there is no universal style of persuasion that works for everyone. Prepare your presentation or the final solution after you assess and understand how others respond to your ideas."
Which isn’t to say you should abandon your goals— although compromise will play a role in most decision-making processes, you need to believe in what you want and fight for it.
"If you don’t care, don’t bother," says Chrissy Scivicque at EatYourCareer.com.
"Whatever you want to persuade another person to do (or think or feel), you simply MUST believe it’s the right thing. The more confidence you can demonstrate, the more convincing you’ll be."
4. Walk in Their Shoes
Easily one of the more important things to remember throughout the entire process is to keep an understanding of your audience clear in your mind. You know why you want that promotion, but is that what your boss wants? Try to think like your boss does and you’ll be able to anticipate his or her objections. When you know those possible objections, you can properly frame your argument
Ultimately, like everything in communication, it’s all about the audience. Know your audience, frame your argument and adapt quickly to your audience. Do all of these things consistently and you might just get that raise or promotion you’ve been working toward.
Sunday, February 2, 2008
Secrets to Effective Conflict Resolution
December 6th, 2011 | Author: Beth Armknecht Miller, President and Executive Coach, Executive Velocity Inc We all have had to deal with conflict in the workplace. It can be a real energy drain as people within and around the conflict focus on the negative and not the positive. The result is decreased productivity and even worse, potential danger for other employees. As a leader, dealing with conflict is a key skill you must master. So here are some recommended steps to take to resolve conflicts in a timely and efficient manner.
First, you must be able to recognize the conflict. Some forms of conflict are subtle and not so blatant. These subtle forms can include repeated negative attitudes or behaviors such as inappropriate use of humor-sarcasm or cynicism, lack of care, empathy, and support of team members, interrupting others, appearing arrogant or a know it all, withholding of resources or information, etc. These are all subtle because they are interpreted by individuals who will interpret the behaviors based on their biases and experiences. Their interpretation will affect their relationship with the other person. As a leader, you need to understand each of your team members’ behavior preferences so you can be alert to potential subtle conflicts which can ultimately escalate into much larger ones. Then there are the more blatant behaviors such as yelling, intimidation, and continually not keeping commitments to others.
Second, research the situation by asking questions of those involved directly and indirectly. Your questions should be data driven because the focus of your discussion with the individuals will be on the problem, not the individuals in conflict. Listen carefully to filter out opinions from facts. And be careful when asking questions to not "lead the witness". And finally, don’t share your opinions with those you are interviewing because of potential biases in their responses. Your job is to get all the necessary facts before facilitating a resolution.
Third, prior to a meeting with the team members in conflict establish meeting norms and guidelines with each member individually. Get individual commitments from them that they will abide to the following: express themselves in an unemotional manner, listen when another person is speaking- no interruptions, attempt to put themselves in the shoes of the other person, and commit to a certain date to make a final decision if you need to based on the meeting dialogue.
Fourth, facilitate a meeting between the parties in conflict. During this meeting acknowledge the problem you have identified during your research in a concise manner and communicate your role in the meeting as a facilitator. You are not there to solve the conflict but to facilitate the conversation so the conflicting parties can solve the problem themselves. Remind them of the meeting guidelines they each agreed to before the conversation begins. And, set a time frame for the meeting and let them know that if the conflict can’t be resolved then a specific time will be set aside to pick up the conversation. Be prepared to stop the meeting if someone isn’t abiding to their promise.
Coaching Tip: When reminding them of the guidelines they agreed to add the following communication guidelines:
Fifth and final, make your decision a timely one. Your credibility and reputation as a leader is partially based on your decision making skills. The inability to make a decisive decision during times of conflict can impact how you are viewed as a leader. Show your strength and you will build respect from those you lead.
In the end it is up to the leader to be skilled in questioning, listening, facilitating, and decision making to resolve conflicts in the workplace and insure that employees are both productive and safe.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
10 Ways to be a Great Follower
A long time ago, when I was conducting one of my first management training classes, a crusty old general foreman snarled at me, "Hey kid, maybe you should be teaching my employees how to be better employees, instead of wasting my time".Since then, I’ve spent the last 20 + years trying to develop great leaders. There are thousands of books, articles, and courses on how to be better leaders. Yet, after all of this effort, we still seem to have a shortage of leaders and a lot of employees sure seem dissatisfied with their bosses. Sometimes it feels like we're just spitting in the wind.
Well, after all these years, I’m thinking old crusty may have been on to something there. Let’s face it; even the most powerful leaders have to answer to someone; so at some point, we all have to be followers. And great leaders can’t be great unless they have great followers. Heck, a team of great followers can even make the most average of managers a great leader.
So how about if I stop telling everyone they should be a leader and instead practice what it takes to be a great follower? Here are some things I love to see from my own employees, and have tried to practice with my managers.
1. Keep your manager informed.
Leaders throughout history have made bad decisions based on a lack of information or bad information. Great employees keep their managers abreast of key projects, even if they don’t ask. A manager can’t recognize and reward if they don’t know what their employees are doing. Managers also hate finding out about bad news from someone else. If something happens, like a dissatisfied client, give your manager a heads-up there may be trouble coming their way.
2. Always support your manager behind their backs.
That also means don’t criticize your manager behind their backs. For one thing, it’s unprofessional. It’s also a safe assumption that whatever you say, good or bad, will get back to them.
3. Be good. Damn good.
When an employee consistently delivers extraordinary results, most managers end up giving them more trust and latitude. And when a manager doesn’t have to waste their time cleaning up after mistakes or following up, they have more time to spend on vision, strategy, recognition, resource allocation, and other good things that benefit the entire team. Do what you say you’re going to do and do it well.
4. Admit your mistakes.
When you make a mistake, admit it. Be accountable; don’t make excuses, don’t point fingers, and don’t act like a victim. Tell your manager what happened, what you’re doing to fix it, and what you’ve learned so that it won’t happen again.
5. Be a great peer.
Be a team player; be an advocate for them behind their backs. Managers can’t stand back-stabbers, and they can sniff it out no matter how subtle you think you’re being.
6. Don’t bring problems to your manager, bring solutions.
OK, it’s a tired cliché, but it’s true. Don’t delegate upwards.
7. Prioritize your own work.
Great followers never have to ask their managers to help prioritize their work for them. New employees might need to do this – or average employees – but not the great ones. They always seem to know what’s important and urgent, and what can wait.
8. Be an optimist.
Everyone loves being around optimists – the positive attitude and energy is contagious. When you’re the person who always sees the glass as half-empty, you end up being a real buzz-kill for everyone around you.
9. Embrace change.
Everybody says the love change – as long as the change is their idea. A great follower can see the possibilities in someone else’s idea. Be the early adopter; don’t be the laggard.
10. Love what you do – or do something else.
If you don’t like what you do, it’ll show up in your work and attitude. You’re not doing yourself, your manager, or your co-workers any favors by hanging on to what you consider to be a lousy job. Life’s too short – find something that you can be passionate about.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
How to Discuss an Employee Performance Problem
The thought occurred to me the other day that while I’ve written a lot about the importance of accountability and dealing with poor performers, I’ve never actually written a post on exactly how to have a performance discussion. I have, however, written about how not to deal with underperformers.Knowing how to sit down with an employee and have an effective conversation about a performance problem is one of the hardest things for any manager to do, new or experienced, and should never be taken for granted.
It’s also something that’s often screwed up – managers are either too vague and soft or too blunt and harsh. Both won’t get the desired results – improved performance.
We also don’t get to practice it a lot – unlike coaching or listening – so we can’t rely on repetition to get good at it.
Here’s a basic roadmap to follow that works in just about any situation:
1. Get your ducks in a row (preparation):
Something’s happened that has brought the performance problem to your attention. It’s either some objective performance data (sales numbers) or some kind of behavioral issue (falling asleep in a meeting). Gather all the data you can – get input from other sources if you can. It’s like CSI work – you’re gathering evidence to be able to convince yourself first, then the employee.
Then, write an outline of what you want to say and how you want to say it. If it’s serious stuff, you’ll want to involve your friendly local HR person. No, really – involve them. This is when you’ll realize how valuable a good HR pro can be. They deal with this nonsense on a regular basis.
Schedule a meeting – allow an hour – in a private location (closed door office or conference room). There’s no good time to have this kind of conversation, but Friday afternoon might be about the best.
2. Explain the performance issue.
Forget the friendly small talk – just get to the point. In a calm and conversational manner, explain to the employee what the performance issue or behavior is and why it concerns you. There are a couple models for doing this:
- SBR (Situation, Behavior, and Result): "In our meeting this week, you fell asleep. I had to wake you up and embarrass you in front of your peers."
- BFE (Behavior, Feeling, and Effect): "When you fell asleep in our meeting, I felt like you were not interested in what I had to say. That sets a poor example for the rest of the team."
However you do it, you’re basically helping the employee understand what exactly you are concerned about and why it concerns you.
3. Ask for reasons and listen.
This is where you give the employee a chance to give their side of things. Don’t ask: "So – what the hell were you thinking?" Instead, try something like: "So help me understand how this could happen?"
The key here is to really listen – for facts and feelings. There may be some legitimate reason for the problem – there usually is, at least from the employee’s perspective. Understanding the real underlying causes will help you and the employee do the next step, which is….
4. Solve the problem.
That’s the whole point of the discussion, right? Eliminate the causes and make the problem go away. A lot of managers seem to lose sight of that.
This really should be a collaborative discussion. In fact, it’s best to ask for the employee’s ideas on solving the problem first. People support what they create. The employee’s idea may not be as good as yours, but they’ll be more likely to own it and have success implementing it. If you’re not confident the employee’s idea is going to work, you can always add your own as an additional idea. The key here is to make sure the employee is committed – which leads to the next step….
5. Ask for commitment and set a follow-up date.
Summarize the action plan, and ask for the employee’s commitment. They need to say it to own it. Then make sure to set and agree on a follow-up date to check in on progress. That way, if your original ideas are not working, you can come up with additional ideas. You also let the employee know you’re not going to let it slide.
6. Express your confidence (and possible consequences).
If this is just the first discussion, and not a serious infraction, then there’s no need to mention consequences. However, if not, then you’ll need to make sure you clearly describe what will happen if there is insufficient improvement in performance or if the behavior does not improve. Either way, end it on a positive note - by expressing your confidence that the solutions you’ve both come up with will work. I realize this is hard to do if you don’t sincerely mean it – if that’s the case, then don’t say it.
There you go. After the meeting, document the discussion, and keep it in your employee file. Then, make sure there’s follow-up.
A lot of good employees screw up now and then. If you follow this process, you’ll get most of them back on track before it gets out of hand.
How about it – did I miss anything? What works and does not work for you?
Thursday, May 6, 2010
How to be Accountable and Hold Others Accountable
This is a story of four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it.
Everybody was sure Somebody would do it.
Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.
Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybodyʹs job.
Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldnʹt do it.
It ended that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
- Unknown
Does this sound familiar? What kind of workplace situations does this remind you of?
The topic of accountability has been such a hot topic for the last decade, it’s almost turned into just another corporate buzzword. However, for some reason, the word still seems to be a lightning rod when it comes to leadership development.
It’s a word with a lot of arms and legs. It’s often used to describe:
- a personal value (someone who is accountable)
- something you do to others (hold them accountable)
- and something that an organizational entity should be or isn’t (e.g., there’s no accountability in government).
For leaders, accountability starts with looking in the mirror. Being accountable is our ticket to earning the right to hold others accountable.
When someone else screws up, we tend to blame it on their personal characteristics. However, when we screw up, we tend to blame it on external circumstances. It’s a cognitive bias social psychologists call "fundamental attribution". Neither serve us or others well as leaders.
What does it mean to be accountable as a leader? Let’s just say I know it when I hear it. It sounds something like this:
- "I made a mistake"
- "I screwed up"
- "That’s on me, and no one else"
- "No excuses"
- "I’ll do it – it’s mine"
- "I got it"
- "I’m already on it, it’ll get taken care of"
- "I’ll make sure everyone gets regular status reports"
I also know what it doesn’t sound like… it doesn’t sound like:
- Whining
- Finger pointing
- Blaming
- "I’ll try", "maybe", "I’ll do my best"
- Excuses, excuses, and more excuses
- A victim
- Insincere, rehearsed, b.s. apologies
Leaders can start creating a culture of accountability by being accountable. However, being a role model isn’t always enough to help someone else be accountable. As leaders, we often need to hold others accountable. In order to do this, we need to:
1. Establish expectations
Without expectations, managers and employees both end up frustrated and disappointed. It’s important to clearly describe what "good" performance looks like, and what it does not look like.
2. Gain Commitment
Without commitment, we get compliance – or even resistance. Don’t assume you have someone’s commitment just because you’ve discussed it with them. Watch out for those phases like "I’ll try", or "I’ll do my best". Ask for and listen to people’s concerns. Help them overcome their obstacles, explain the benefits, and help them figure out what they need to achieve the goal. Ask: "Do I have your commitment?", and "What needs to happen in order for you to commit to this?"
3. Inspect what you expect
"Inspection" sounds like a dirty word, indicating a lack of trust or micromanaging. It’s really not – following up shows that it’s important, you care, and you’re there to help remove obstacles. Inspecting also provides an opportunity to give praise for progress towards a goal. In time, hopefully, your employees will learn how to proactively provide progress reports. Let’s face it, these days, we all have all kinds of competing priorities. Even with good intentions, it’s easy for things to slip. Inspection and follow-up make sure the really important things don’t fall through the cracks.
4. Provide feedback and consequences.
Feedback lets someone know how they’re doing. If expectations are not being met, then they need to know about it, as well as how to get back on track.
If expectations are being met or exceeded, then they need to hear about that as well.
If performance consistently is below expectations, then there needs to be consequences. Without consequences, there is no accountability.
If you follow this process consistently as a leader, and role model accountable behavior yourself, you’ll create a culture of accountability and "no excuses" within your team or organization.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
The Cowardly Manager’s Guide to Dealing with Poor Performers
Dealing with a poor performer has to be one of the hardest responsibilities of a leader. Great leaders confront performance issues head on. They provide feedback, coaching, counseling, and if all else fails, real leaders fire underperformers. It’s all part of earning your scars as a leader.
Cowardly managers come up with all kind of creative ways to avoid dealing with performance issues. Here is a summary of many of the actual methods I’ve encountered:
1. Teambuilding.
Instead of dealing with the the one bad apple, drag the entire work group through "teambuilding" sessions with the hope that the poor performer will be "outed" and fixed.
2. Assessments.
Instead of simply confronting the employee, have the employee take a battery of assessments in the hope that they will figure it out for themselves.
3. Call HR.
Hire an HR person to take care of all employee disciplinary problems so managers don’t have to bother.
4. Transfer the poor performer.
Pass the poor performer off to some other sucker.
5. Training.
Ask the training department to fix the poor performer.
6. Hire someone else to do their job.
I’m not making this up – I happens all the time. But wait, there’s even a more ludicrous option, you can…..
7. Promote them.
Really. It happens. Shocker.
8. Delegate it to another employee.
Ask someone else on your team to "mentor" the problem performer. It would be a good "development opportunity", thus killing two birds with one stone.
9. Delegate up.
Have Mom or Dad deal with it.
10. Work around the performance issues.
Otherwise known as "playing to their strengths". In other words, strip all the hard parts of the job away until the poor performer can handle it.
11. Wait for retirement.
Either yours or the poor performers.
And when all else fails, just stick your head in the sand and hope it all goes away. It won’t, but while you’re waiting, the moral and performance of your entire team will be dragged down like an anchor. When that happens, give a copy of this guide to your own manager, and hope you have a coward for a manager and not a real leader.
What are some other ways you've seen wimp managers avoid dealing with performance issues?
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