Using Data to Show the Benefit of Managers to a Technical Workforce - the Google Way

In December's Harvard Business Review there's an article on how Google used data to determine that managers in fact do play an important role for the company (sad that they didn't know it already!)  By showing these results to the workforce, the company increased the value of its management to the employees.  The company identified eight key behaviors to being a good manager:

1. Good coaching
2. Empowers and doesn't micromanage
3. Cares about people's success and personal wellbeing
4. Productive and results oriented
5. Good communicator-- listens and shares info
6. Helps with career development
7. Has clear vision and strategy for the team
8. Has key technical skills that help advise the team

Google also uses regular surveys to get at how leaders are doing with relation to these specific behaviors.

http://hbr.org/2013/12/how-google-sold-its-engineers-on-management/ar/1

"The smell of the place" Change company context on the front line and people will thrive and improve your company's bottom line

We all know that engaged employees are more productive and contribute more to the bottom line.  Their enthusiasm and motivation is also contagious.

We talk a lot about changing the people or even firing them, but perhaps we need to look at the system or environment in which they work.  Oppressive conditions create resilience; however, they don't help optimal performance. 

Leadership guru Sumantra Ghoshal calls this contextual environment " the smell of the place," and it shapes how individual actors inside a corporation are able to perform.  He notes that organizations that are about constraint, control, compliance, and contract will find that it's very difficult for people to give their best in this environment.  Organizations that value stretch, discipline, trust and support are building cultures of high performance.  Ultimately, the test of leadership quality of an organization is the context that shapes individual and team behaviors and performance.

See his inspiring 8-minute talk at the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUddgE8rI0E

Dare to Disagree- Power of A Good Fight

I once had a senior boss who arrived on the job and handed out the Harvard Business Review Article,  "How Management Teams Can Have a Good Fight" and then he proceeded to marginalize anyone who disagreed with him, even if it was in a one-on-one discussion.  Learning from Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, there was definitely an absence of trust.

Conflict is so important to an organization, yet it is viewed as a negative.  Differences create rich discussions and produce better outcomes.  Having conflict requires patience and energy but a good, clean debate or discussion leaves you with confidence in the outcomes and as a manager, you get the best out of your people.

How do we develop the skills:

Don't fear conflict, fear silence
Practice standing up to authority
Assume others have the same doubts
Voice concerns
Teach this early and often

http://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_dare_to_disagree.html

Focus on WHY your organization does what it does and people will follow you wholeheartedly

What  you do, how do you do, and why does your organization exist?

Focus on the WHY and you will be able to inspire your workforce to do great things and your customers to purchase your products and/or services.

This is Simon Sinek's premise in his  TED talk , which is also a book

You want to do business with the people who believe what you believe.   They won't buy WHAT you do, they'll buy WHY you do it.

He links this to biology and the brain.  The limbic brain is responsible for feelings and decisionmaking and has no capacity for language.  Facts and figures don't drive behavior, people decide with their gut.  In order to do this they need to know WHY you do what you do.
Apple has been most successful with this model.

Hire people who believe in the WHY and they will work for you with all their heart.

Turning around a dysfunctional team

I reread Patrick Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions of a Team to refresh my knowledge for a challenge I have been facing at work.

Written in story format, the book tells the tale of a new boss coming into an organization that works in stovepipes.  Her goal is to get them to work as a team to ultimately succeed as a business.

Lencioni frames the dysfunction in the form of a pyramid:

First you need trust, then a dose of healthy conflict since people shouldn't be afraid to voice their opinions and concerns. This is followed by commitment to the team over individual loyalties, holding one another accountable, and ultimately focusing on achieving results for the organization.

 

In addition to addressing these parts of the pyramid, the boss also refers to exercises in teambuilding that take place such as the Myers Briggs Type Indicator .  You could also use other personality or value assessments such as the  DiSC or Four Lenses.

 

These tools help one another understand why we act the way we do and provide a framework for discussion. 

 

For an interesting perspective on personality tests and their limitations (are you a dog person or a cat person?), See Malcolm Gladwell's New Yorker article  "Personality Plus"

 

 

 

 

Top 10 Summer Reading List for Business Leaders 2013

Looking for a good read this summer?

From the Robert H. Smith School of Business

http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/news/books/

Nice people finish last? Give honest feedback to nice people!

Do people describe you as a nice person?  Are you at the point in your career where you want to be?  Being nice may be holding you back, but perhaps not in the way you're thinking.  You don't have to claw your way to the top, but you need to be aware of how your "niceness" may be quietly hurting you.  Throughout my career,  I have supervised many people I would describe as being nice -- people who are great listeners, care about those with whom they work, and who may take on additional responsibilities and cover for co-workers for a variety of reasons.  These people might be so nice that you wouldn't even want to think of hurting their feelings.  How might you do that?  By giving them honest feedback on any not-so-stellar aspects of their performance.  Over the years, nice people may not benefit from the learning that comes with constructive critiques and get to a point in their careers where they can't go further without addressing the deficiencies.  Meanwhile, those whose feelings we're less sensitive to get more honest feedback and are able to address their weaaknesses.


Beware using the negative feedback sandwich approach with nice people -- the compliments may block out the criticism!







See "Tell Me What I Did Wrong?"

http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.1086/661934?uid=3739704&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21102272989381

Inspirational Graduation Speeches

Graduation time is almost upon us and two of my favorites are at the links below.

Amy Poehler at Harvard (Senior Class Day)

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7N_L_pu74k

Text:

http://harvardmagazine.com/2011/05/you-cant-do-it-alone

Steve Jobs at Stanford 2005

Video:
http://www.bing.com/videos/searchq=steve+jobs+stanford+commencement+speech&mid=6109E1A65267C4C6A1EF6109E1A65267C4C6A1EF&view=detail&FORM=VIRE2

Text:
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html


If you have others, please share!

Examining Organizational Success or Dysfunction - McKinsey's 7-S Model

One of the best frameworks that I learned in business school for strategy was McKinsey's 7-S Model.


This model is used for an internal analysis of strategic characteristics of an organization to see what's going well and what isn't.  It can help with organizational alignment and assess the impact of change on the organization. 

the Model looks at what are considered hard, factual elements that are easy to identify in strategy statements, organizational charts, etc.:

Strategy- Actions a company plans in response to or in anticipation of changes in the external environment

Structure- Basis for specialization and coordination influenced mainly by strategy and organizational size and diversity

Systems- Formal and informal procedures that support the strategy and structure
Note:  Much of the dysfunction I see in organizations is a result of systemic barriers.


The soft elements of the model are hard to describe since they are evolving and changing constantly, they are:

Style and Culture - Organizational culture- the dominant values, beliefs and norms that develop over time and become relatively enduring features and Management style- what managers do rather than what they say, such as where they spend their time and what they reward.

Staff- The people and how they are managed - how management values are shaped and managers are developed, employee onboarding and development, assimilation

Skills- Distinctive Competencies, what the organization does best and ways of developing or shifting competencies

Shared Values and Subordinate Goals - Guiding principles, fundamental ideas around which a business is built

Evaluate your organization on each one of these elements to see where you stand.

For more detail on the model, please see:

http://www.tompeters.com/docs/7SHistory.pdf

http://www.tompeters.com/docs/Structure_Is_Not_Organization.pdf

Benchmark for Organizational Success-Putting People First

       

Practices for Organizational Success--  How well does your company do the following?


Employment Security- job security promotes innovation since people aren't using productive energy worrying about if they'll continue to be employed

Selective Hiring - Attract the largest applicant pool, identify critical knowledge, skills and abilities; screen applicants based on hard to learn skills

Teams and Decentralized Decision-Making -  Organize people and tasks around teams (but give your people--especially your introverts (see previous post)-- some solitude to innovate)

High Compensation Contingent on Performance - Pay employees above industry averages if possible and link pay to company success; use individual and team incentives.  Remember though that pay isn't the only motivator (provide autonomy, mastery and sense of purpose)

Extensive Training -- Provide extensive formal training, but also just in time, on the job, and mentoring and shadowing; note the open source on-line training possibilities and use widely.  Create an environment where people can be current experts in their field.

Reduce Status Differences - Reduce barriers between top management and lower level employees-- give your new hires access to senior leadership.  Reduce or eliminate senior parking spots ;-) or other differentiators -- do senior badges look different?  How about office space?

Sharing Information - Share performance, strategy, and operational information with all employees.  Provide them with opportunities to share their knowledge with you.


For more, see Pfeffer and Veiga, Putting People First for Organizational Success

http://www.psych.uncc.edu/alblanch/ODII/PfefferandVeiga1999.pdf

Is an Executive Coach for you?

Executive coaching is a process by which a coach and executive leader form a relationship to achieve specific goals related to personal or professional development or related to business objectives and performance.  The field of executive coaching has developed rapidly over the past decade considering how much pressure executive leaders are under to produce short-term results under the microscope of shareholders and analysts.  At the same time, they are expected to be inspirational, transformational leaders who possess a high level of interpersonal skills.

Executive coaching offers a number of benefits:

• unbiased feedback
• increased self-esteem
• improved interpersonal communcation
• more effective leadership
• better business results

Problems do exist for coaching though, such as an absence of standards for qualifying coaches and the ability to measure results. The burden is on the client to identify appropriately trained coaches that match their organizational needs.  The executive should also not over rely on the coach for assistance on business decisions.  Executive coaching is also not a subsitution for a psychologist -- when there are underlying psychological problems.

If you think you'd benefit from a coaching relationship:

Find the right coach -- outline criteria such as required degrees or credentials and interview multiple candidates for the right fit

Measure progress- companies should evaluate coaching at the individual, team and/or organizational level

Make sure you get coachee and management buy-in.  Educate the organization on coaching's value and align the executive's development with the organization's strategic goals. 

Create accountability for the behaviors learned through coaching.

Coaching can be especially helpful in periods of transition or preparation when an executive is taking on a new role.  It can expedite readiness for a high-potential leader to diversify or deal with derailers or maybe just get out of a rut.  For executive teams, coaching can build trust and accountability, deepen relationships and allow learning from each other.

Know the connectors in your workforce

Traditional hierarchies are being overtaken by networks of people.  Look at how work gets done in your organization and identify those people who naturally connect to others and use them to communicate and champion change.



See Malcolm Gladwell's explanation of Connectors in The Tipping Point:


http://www.gladwell.com/tippingpoint/tp_excerpt2.html

Time Management - Get that monkey off your back!

I learned a while back from a classic Harvard Business Review article that our time as a manager can be categorized in the following ways:

What you have little control over

• boss-imposed time-  responding to what your boss wants
• system-imposed time- responding to what your peers need

What you have control over:

• self-imposed time
• subordinate-imposed time

If you ever wonder why you as a manager hardly have a chance to have lunch or take a bathroom break in the course of the day, perhaps you need to assess whether your subordinates are leaving you with too many of their problems.  This is referred to as subordinate-imposed time.

The scenario is such that the subordinate approaches you with a problem that you don't know enough about to make an immediate decision so you take it on to work and plan to get back to them -- you have now subordinated yourself to them and taken the proverbial monkey onto your back.  Now it's your problem.  If this is how you operate, pretty soon you'll have a whole tribe of monkeys wreaking havoc on your time.

Don't let your subordinates leave their monkeys with you.  You can give advice about their issues, but they leave your office with them and a course of action.

You need to ensure that your subordinates take initiative -- they shouldn't wait until they're told or ask what they should do without providing recommendations.  They need to make recommendations and then act or act and then keep you posted.

With this time back, you can provide the oversight and guidance for them to move forward and find solutions.

For the full article that has benefitted many a manager:

https://www.cusys.edu/eld-catalog/docs/cop/WhosGotMonkeyHBR.pdf

The Power of Introverts- maximizing talent and creativity

Are most managers extroverts?  Introverts are often passed over for leadership.  We need to understand and value introversion and the role introverts play in creativity and innovation.  Solitude can be an important incubator for creativity.  One third to one half of the population is introverted.  Some of the best leaders are introverts.  Let's look at the workplace and understand the importance of nurturing our introverts and let's not scold them for going off away from the crowd.

Susan Cain, author of the book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking recommends:

Stop the madness for constant groupwork-  we need freedom, privacy and autonomy in addition to working in teams

Go to the wilderness -- unplug and get inside our own heads every so often

See what's in your suitcase and why you put it there -- take it out and share occasionally



See Susan Cain's great talk on TED, and learn from her storytelling:

http://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts.html

Offsetting Bad Habits

In a previous blog I talked about bad habits or derailers.  Sometimes strengths that are taken to an extreme can actually be weaknesses.

You might have looked at the list of derailers and even recognized traits of some of your company's most successful leaders.  So how is it that these leaders can be successful while still having shortcomings?

According to George Hallenbeck, Korn/Ferry International Consultant,  there are seven redeeming features that can make up for other negative characteristics.  These are:

• Listening
• Approachability
• Boss relationships
• Integrity and trust
• Humor
• Interpersonal savvy
• Understanding others

To read more, see the article "The Seven Saving Graces for Managers":
http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2008-02-14/the-seven-saving-graces-for-managersbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice

Fake it 'til you become it- the confident leader

Many senior leaders report feeling not worthy of the position -- like they're an imposter and eventually it'll be found out that they are not competent and shouldn't have the job title.  I once had a senior exec tell me that her motto was "fake it 'til you make it!"  How many people fake their way to the top?   If you pretend to be powerful long enough, do you then start acting that way?  It's likely that the feeling of inadequacy is due to a lack of confidence.  In the research about male-female pay differentials, confidence--or lack of it on the part of women-- is a big factor in the outcome.  So how do we become more confident as leaders?  If we practice these behaviors we can change our own.

• Reduce Stress
• Be prepared-  learn as much about your work and related topics as you possibly can
• Kill negative thoughts/think positively
• Sit at the conference table (when you are a main player)
• Be a great listener
• Speak up with intelligence
• Treat others with respect
• Keep learning

Exhibit Gravitas (have a presence):

• Dress nicely
• Speak clearly
• Use proper grammar
• Stand or sit tall (take up more space, don't shrink)
• Be fit/Take care of yourself
• Smile, but be careful about when you're smiling and how often

See how power poses can boost your confidence:

Social psychologist Amy Cuddy says "our bodies can change our minds, our minds can change our behavior and our behavior can change the outcomes."

She also says "Little tweaks can lead to big changes"  See her awesome lecture at TED:

http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are.html

Sample Power Poses

What's Your EQ? Smart Skills for Leaders

I once had a boss whose IQ must have been off the charts-- he was brilliant technically-- yet he didn't have a single relationship that he hadn't shredded.  I felt like my job was to prevent others from having contact with him or to clean up afterwards.  It was in this job that I truly began to appreciate what is known as emotional intelligence (EI).

Although the idea of emotional intelligence goes back to Charles Darwin, I first remember hearing the term in 1995 when Daniel Goleman authored the internationally best-selling book, Emotional Intelligence.

Daniel Goleman's model focuses on EI as a wide range of competencies and skills that drive leadership performance. Goleman's model outlines five main EI constructs:

1. Self-awareness – the ability to know one's emotions, strengths, weaknesses, drives, values and goals and recognize their impact on others while using intuition to guide decisions.
2. Self-regulation – involves controlling or redirecting one's disruptive emotions and impulses and adapting to changing circumstances.
3. Social skill – managing relationships to move people in the desired direction
4. Empathy - considering other people's feelings especially when making decisions and
5. Motivation - being driven to achieve for the sake of achievement.

Goleman asserts that people are born with a general emotional intelligence that determines their potential for learning emotional competencies to manage anger, fear and grief, for example.   Although Goleman's model of EI has been criticized as "pop psychology," it's hard to deny these skills are important in relationships and as a leader. Many of the components appear in OPM's leadership competency model under Flexibility, Resilience, Integrity, Service Motivation, Cultural Awareness, Team Building, Conflict Management, Influencing/Negotiating, Political Savvy, Interpersonal Skills, and Accountability.

Goleman also developed the argument that non-cognitive skills can matter as much as I.Q. for workplace success in Working with Emotional Intelligence (1998, Bantam Books), and for leadership effectiveness in Primal Leadership (2001, Harvard Business School Press). Goleman's most recent best-seller is Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships (2006, Bantam Books).

Also see "What Makes A Leader" by Daniel Goleman, best of Harvard Business Review 1998.

Free On-line Leadership and Management Training

If you're looking for great courseware on line from some of the best schools, you can start with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Open Courseware.  There are a multitude of topics under business and management with reading lists and active links to interesting articles, example papers and much more!

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/find-by-topic/

Six Personal Leadership Qualities

Leadership Guru Warren Bennis' 6 personal leadership qualities:

Integrity
Dedication
Magnanimity
Humility
Openness
Creativity

How do these map to OPM's competencies?  Not exact, but close!

Integrity -- Integrity
Dedication -- Service Motivation
Magnanimity -- Accountability
Humility
Openness -- Flexibility
Creativity-- Creativity/Innovation/Entrepreneurship


http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/articles/bennis_qualities.htm


Is humility an important characteristic of great leaders?

Write your Congressperson!

Anne-Marie Slaughter's article in the Atlantic back in August called for some policy changes to help women in the workplace.  Though the article initially caused a stir, I haven't heard much since.  One change I fully support that would benefit all working parents of both sexes is in the school schedule and before and after school care.   Why do those in elementary school start school so late and those in high school start so early -- not only is it against natural sleep rhythms for their ages, it wreaks havoc on parents' work schedules.  Parents have to find care often on both ends of the day since showing up at work at 9:30 after the youngest catches the bus or leaving work at 3:00 aren't really options.  Schools could offer an extended day option to cover before and after school, where kids could have choices to do homework, art projects, read, etc.  The cost for this should at the very least be subsidized by the government since not everyone can afford it.

We have to complain loudly to local and national officials that the current system isn't working for us and propose some good alternatives!

Women, Work and the Will to Lead

I just had this conversation today about women's choices in their careers when shown some data about women lagging in promotions and senior ranks.    Women should be confident and share their talents.  There are many women who are more effective in jobs even in a 40-hour a week or part-time role than some people in a more than full-time role.    We need to change the culture since it's not about the time you're at work that counts but the work that you accomplish. Don't opt out, opt in.... See Sheryl Sandberg's talk on TED http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_leaders.html or get ready to purchase: Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead In 2010, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg gave an electrifying TED Talk in which she described how women unintentionally hold themselves back in their careers. Viewed more than two million times on the web, the talk encouraged women to ''sit at the table,'' seek challenges, take risks, and pursue their goals with gusto. In this new book, she digs deeper into those ideas. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice calls it ''a superb, witty, candid, and meaningful read for women (and men) of all generations.'' Available 3/11/2013 List Price $24.95 Online Price: $14.11 NOOK Book: $12.99

Pre-Order Now >

Happiness Survey - Improving Organizational Productivity

We all know that happy, engaged employees are more productive at work.  How can we measure employee happiness and engagement?

Gallup has done a significant body of research and produced a 12-question survey:

1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?

2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?

3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?

4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?

5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?

6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?

7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?

 

8. Does the mission/purpose of mycompany make me feel my job is important?

9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?

10. Do I have a best friend at work?

11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?

12. This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow    

Check out the books below regarding Gallup's research.


You many want to ask yourself and those who work for you these questions and then do something about the ones where there are gaps--either in perception or reality.

 

 

Recognizing Employees - low/no cost!

When times are tight, we need to think of ways to recognize people that don't cost money.  According to the Corporate Leadership Council, companies with effective reward and recognition experienced increased employee performance and retention and achieve higher bottomline results relative to their peers. 

I posted a blog at work about no cost ways to reward employees and the number one comment that employees said they'd like their bosses to do was to say a simple "Thank you!"

Other suggestions:

Give them visibility -  let them brief the next level up, take the lead on a project, give them a challenging assignment

Give them autonomy - let them spend a certain amount of time a week working on something they are passionate about and innovating

Give them a party -  celebrate successes as a group, have a pig-in or go out to lunch together

Give them a voice - set up a suggestion box (anonymous, of course)

Give them development opportunities -  set them up with a mentor or coach

Give them a trophy -- create a wacky trophy to recognize an employee's great work and you could then have them pass it on within a month to someone else who's deserving in an informal ceremony of sorts.

Other ideas:

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/firstgentleman/50_242400_7.pdf




Have any you'd like to share?

Drawing to Solve Problems: Encouraging Innovation

In a previous post I put Dan Roam's book The Back of the Napkin among my favorites.  It's about how we can solve problems with simple pictures.  According to Dan, 55-60 percent of our brain's neurons process vision.  Research also shows that those who best describe the problem are most likely to solve the problem.  His premise is that we're all experiencing information overload and the use of simple visuals can bring clarity to communication and problem-solving.  Visual thinkers Arnheim (1969) and Tufte (1983) have also done pioneering work on this topic.

I attended his presentation and he had us all drawing on napkins.  My drawing looked something like the picture below:



There are six ways of seeing a problem.

Start with three paths in parallel -- who/what, how much and where and then when and how

For who/what, use a qualitative visual like a portrait
For how much, use a bar chart where comparisons can be easily seen
For where, use a structural visual like a map
For when, use a timeline or show the passage of time
For how, use a cause and effect visual like a flow chart

Check out the White House Whiteboard

www.whitehouse.gov/whiteboard

www.slideshare.net for sharing presentations "the youtube for presentations"  Check out Dan Roam's presentation on American Health care, a 4 napkin presentation.

Also check out RSA Animate videos on YouTube

 Tufte visualization

 

Accountability: having difficult confrontations

I took a course based on the book Crucial Confrontations, and it changed the way I think about difficult conversations.  It's so important to have honest communication, and this framework can help leaders think about their approach.

It's all about holding people accountable when they break a promise, don't meet expectations, or are just behaving badly.  This needs to be done face to face whenever possible.

Before the confrontation, you need to identify the problem and decide if and how you're going to deal with it in an unemotional way. 

Consider CPR to assess the problem:
Is it Content in a first-time offense where the action or result is the problem?
Is there a Pattern of behavior?
Is it the Relationship that is being hurt and is there a trust or respect issue?

Turn the problem into a single, clear sentence.

Decide whether or not you need to speak up:
Don't if it's a small problem or won't happen again and you know the other person probably already feels bad about it.

Manage your emotions.  Think about the possible scenarios.  David Foster Wallace gave this great commencement speech at Kenyon College in 2005 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122178211966454607.html
 about how we need to have some control over how and what we think and choose consciously what we pay attention to and how we gain meaning from experience.  Bottom line, there could be some very good reasons for seemingly erratic or bad behavior. Ask, "what would cause a reasonable, rational and decent person to act like this?"

When you act in an unprofessional, humiliating, or controlling way, then people will shut down or look to sabotage. You want to set the example for good behavior.  On the other hand, silence lowers expectations.

During the confrontation you need to set the right tone in the way you describe the problem. Share good intentions and seek common ground.   Ask a question like what happened, what would it take to fix it?  Try to determine whether it's due to the person's lack of motivation, ability or both.  Pop the question "are you unwilling or unable?" Often times, conversations get sidetracked (you may be accused of being the problem).  You need to deal with these issues and stay on point.

When considering whether the person you're confronting is motivated, you can ask if it makes them happy to act this way, what role do others play in the behavior, and are there rewards for the behavior? 

When thinking about whether the person is able, ask whether or not he or she has the knowledge and skills?  Are others supporting this person?  Is there some physical space issue or other structural issue impacting the behavior?

Following the confrontation you need to assess whether the issue has really been resolved.






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4f-74WbnsU

Are Leaders Born or Made?

Ever notice how some leaders are just naturals?  They possess great interpersonal skills, when they talk people listen, and they get work done easily through others.   This is just through my lens, see how others see it.  Check out this Center for Creative Leadership article on the topic:

http://www.ccl.org/leadership/pdf/research/AreLeadersBornOrMade.pdf

Leadership vs. Management

What differentiates leadership from management is a common question in leadership development.

One of my favorite articles that details the differences is by John P. Kotter entitled "What Leaders Really Do." 

http://web.sau.edu/richardsrandyl/what%20leaders%20really%20do_kotter.pdf

Kotter notes that they are two distinctive yet complementary systems of action, and both are necessary for success. 

Leadership -- Coping with change

• Setting a direction
• Developing a vision and stragies to achieve it
• Communicating vision - motivating and inspiring
• Aligning people

Management -- Coping with complexity to bring order and consistency

• Use planning and budgeting
• Setting targets and allocating resources
• Organizing and staffing
• Monitoring implementation

Each system involves deciding what needs to be done and creating networks of people  and relationships that are capable and ensure that they accomplish the task.

I would say that great leaders need integrity and strong interpersonal and communication skills for the very reason that they need followers.

Having led for 15 years of my career without a business degree and then finally getting one, I advocate for leaders to learn management skills-  it makes you significantly more effective.  My big "ahas" in b-school revolved around management, not leadership:

Strategy - Frameworks for understanding organizational strengths and weaknesses and managing change
Project management -  Framework for keeping on target to execute all the great plans!
Six Sigma -  Framework for process improvement and repeatable, transparent processes
Supply Chain Management - Optimizing performance
Systems Thinking -  Why knowing a little about Accounting/Finance, HR, Logistics, Information Technology, Training, Operations, etc. and the related dependencies makes for a more corporate manager and leader.

So is it better to have weak leadership and strong management or strong management and weak leadership?

Personal Compass- Learning our Values

As an icebreaker in a senior leadership development class I took, we each had to fill out an chart entitled  "Personal compass"  In the Northern portion we had to draw (no words) something that depicted "What is my life purpose" and "What gives me meaning?"  In the South, we illustrated "Where do I receive nurturing and support?"  The Eastern segment showed "What do I hope to accomplish personally and professionally in the next five years?" and the West side responded to "What are the two qualities I received from my family of origin?"

We then went around the class and everyone got up and explained their drawings.  In learning everyone's values, we found common ground and were able to open up with one another from the start of the course.  Its a great exercise to do with any group of people who are working together!

Doing What Matters Most

Are you in a time trap?  Not enough hours, too much to do?

My favorite matrix for looking at how I might be spending my time is Stephen Covey's Time Management Matrix:

 

For most of your day, get out of quadrants III and IV and into quadrants I and II!


I also found this mind map that is interesting when you're thinking about where to focus your time:

You're No Good to Me Dead!-Promoting Wellness at Work

I thought this would be a good topic given that everyone seems to have some stage of a cold or flu at work this week.  It's also January, when many are trying to improve their health for the new year.

As bosses, we've got to optimize performance, and it's important to have people who are well to accomplish this.   Some bosses feel if they express too much concern for people's well-being then they'll come across being soft and people will take advantage.    I once heard about a boss who wanted to support wellness without appearing "nice" so he would say "You're no good to me dead!" 

Gallup researchers have spent years studying well-being and according to thm, the average sick day costs a business about $348 in lost productivity in the U.S.  The annual cost of those with the lowest well-being costs $28,000 a year compared with those with the highest who have lost productivity costs of only5 $840 a year.

Promoting well-being in your workplace is not only the right thing to do by the people, it's the best for business!

According to Gallup's book Wellbeing--The Five Essential Elements, physical wellbeing is only one of 5 distinct factors for overall wellbeing:

Career Wellbeing-- liking what you do every day
Social Wellbeing-- liking who you are with every day
Financial Wellbeing-- liking how you are living every day
Physical Wellbeing-- having good health and energy to get things done every day
CommunityWellbeing-- being engaged where you live

Creating conditions to optimize performance - diversity

Why do we measure our progress in diversity by how well we achieve retention and recruitment goals rather than by how we create conditions that allow each employee to draw on their personal strengths and perspectives to optimize performance at work, individually and in groups?

Let's look at diversity as the varied perspectives and approaches to work that different people bring and welcome those.

This said, differences often create conflict, so it's important for a company to ensure that its people are as comfortable as possible having difficult conversations and expressing dissent with the greatest respect and understanding.

 

More Inspiration - Zander, Possibility and Classical Music

Do you have an appreciation for classical music? Whether you do or don't yet, you will be inspired by Benjamin Zander's talk on being inspired by music and other possibilities.

http://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html

I have a child who's learning to play a classical instrument and he's not quite at "one-buttock playing" but getting close!

Have you read Benjamin and Rosamund Zander's Book The Art of Possibility?




Other inspiring classical videos:

Italian flash mob

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=GBaHPND2QJg&feature=youtu.be

Dueling cellos playing "Smooth Criminal"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjOQac1vOEc

Great Leadership Books of 2012

There are some great leadership books that emerged last year.  My personal favorites:

 




 

Be a Leader, Follow the Leader - watch this!

As a leader, don't underestimate the importance of your followers and nurture them so they can help you build momentum, reach the tipping point, and carry out the changes that you want to happen!

Great 3-minute example of this is in the TED talk by enrepreneur Derek Sivers on "How to Start a Movement"

http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement.html

More on Derek Sivers:

http://sivers.org/

Your Leadership Philosophy

Personal integrity is a pillar of leadership.  This appears in the OPM competency list, but is it part of your core in growing up or can it still be developed as an adult?

I heard inspirational speaker Tony Chatman talk about a code of conduct he has for his family and it reminded me of what I use at work as a Leadership Philosophy.  It's important to share our values with those at work and perhaps it will help us live up to them.

Your philosophy doesn't have to be long and complicated, a peer once told me that his leadership philosophy was "do your best."  He conveyed this expectation to his workforce.

To document your leadership philosophy, you'll need to reflect upon you personal values, assumptions and beliefs. Make sure you tell your story.

A possible format:

• Introduction:  some background about yourself
• Your key values and expectations
• Closing (try to use a personal story illustrating the values)

I always find it's helpful to see some examples.  You can google "leadership philosophy examples" and many will pop up.  Some of the more detailed ones I've seen come from the military.  I've put two here as examples:

Good morning Black Knights. I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about myself, my vision and my expectations as I take command of THE BEST intelligence squadron in the United States Air Force.

First of all, my name is____________. I was born in the great state of Texas. I come from a long line of military professionals. My father was a retired chief master sergeant in the Air Force. He instilled in my brothers and me, a dedication to service and upholding the freedoms that make this a great country. It was these beliefs that drove me to attend and graduate from the United States Air Force Academy in 1993. Upon completion of the Academy, I became an operations intelligence analyst and later a graduate of the Air Force Weapons School. In my 13 years of service, I have lived in 2 foreign countries; deployed over 20 times and I’ve completed 9 assignments. I have had many experiences; however, I am most proud to be a member of the Black Knights. The knight symbolizes the noble profession of arms. Like the knight, we are also members of a noble profession. Thus, it is our duty to uphold and defend the constitution of the United States and ensure that our actions embody integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do.

Now that you know a little bit about me, I would like to share with you my vision and philosophy for this squadron and outline for you the price of admission for being a member of the Black Knights. My vision for the Black Knights is to be the 70^th Intelligence Wing’s Squadron of the Year for 2007. Last year, the Black Knights were the last squadron in the wing. Thus, the Black Knights are known as a squadron without pride, heads hanging low--a squadron plagued with low morale. However, the first sergeant and I believe the Knights are better than this last place finish. You have the skills, the talent and the motivation to make this goal a reality. In fact, I believe in approaching challenges with TLC. This stands for teamwork, leadership/loyalty, and communication.

TEAMWORK. Always remember that no man is an island. Teamwork is essential to making our squadron the best in the wing. The Air Force supports the Wingman Philosophy; however, we are going to live this philosophy….you are your brother’s keeper. Each member of this squadron is your wingman. I challenge you to get involved. Supervisors know your people, take care of their needs, recognize their accomplishments and create opportunities for their success. If you are not a supervisor, it’s your responsibility to take care of those around you. We can make our goal a reality if we work together.

LEADERSHIP—some say that you can only be a leader if you have a college degree or command a squadron. I contend that leadership is about motivating people to achieve a common goal. Therefore, leadership is a responsibility shared by all. We must lead each other down the path of success to our goal of being squadron of the year. Additionally, LOYALTY is essential to our goal. Loyalty comes in many forms. The most important is loyalty to each other, our squadron, our mission and the U.S. Air Force. The Air Force has set the standard with the core values: integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do. Our loyalty to these values is the price of admission to this unit and the U.S. Air Force.

COMMUNICATION is the most important factor for our success. Miscommunication or a lack of communication will destroy a squadron. Good and open communication is the key. Therefore, feedback is important. Don’t be afraid to tell your supervisors potential problems. Let the leadership work these issues early. My door is always open; however, please try to work issues at the lowest level. Finally, give your supervisors the opportunity to fix problem before they become major issues. Supervisor attack all problems with care and professionalism. Most of all, treat them as if they were your own.

In closing, I would like to say I am honored to be given the opportunity to lead the Best Intelligence Squadron in the Air Force. We have a long road ahead of us and it won’t be easy. I am committed to my TLC philosophy and challenge you to embody these principles as well as the Air Force core values. I am confident that as long as we keep focused on our goal, take care of each other and anticipate and fix problems early, we will be successful.

Black Knights----Checkmate!!!!!

 

 

 

A Coast Guard Station Command Philosophy

Crew: Below are four points that I believe are the most important to making this unit the best in can be. This Station must function as a team with each person making a contribution everyday. The location of our unit and pace of operations provides an outstanding opportunity for professional development and growth. I encourage each of you to make the most of your tour at this station and seize every available opportunity to learn and to teach others.

1) Respect: A successful team is founded on respect. Respect works up and down and across the chain of command. Respect of each other’s rank, professional skills and individuality is essential to the successful performance of Team Coast Guard and it must remain a cornerstone of our foundation.

2) Commitment: Given the challenges of the high-tempo environment that we work in everyday, commitment to the mission, preparation and self-improvement is crucial to success. There will be trying times when each of us has worked long hours and faced adversity, however we need to remain committed to completing the mission whether it is a SAR case, LE evolution or Homeland Security operation, there are many counting on us to save and protect them.

3) Readiness: We are asked to perform several diverse missions on a daily basis and need to be prepared for each and every one them, which puts a strain on both our people and equipment. Keeping qualifications and skills up to date along with our own health and well being greatly enhances our readiness and performance. Each member of the Station should take this responsibility seriously to contribute to the unit’s overall readiness and performance.

4) Enthusiasm: We work for the World’s Premiere Maritime Service! Everyday our missions are featured on major media outlets throughout the country, from heroic actions during SAR cases to stopping the flow of illegal narcotics and protecting the nation’s ports against terrorist attacks. Take pride in the duties YOU perform. You are an essential part of Team Coast Guard.

Source:   http://ebiz.netopia.com/learntolead/customhtml/

Also see http://tonychatman.com/

Motivators at work

In Dan Pink's book Drive, he discusses research that shows in an environment where work involves cognitive thinking, rewards actually backfire and result in lower levels of performance.  Once you pay people enough-- and I'm sure there's lots of debate on how much that is-- what really matters is:

•  having a sense of purpose,
•  being able to master your work,
• and then having the autonomy to do what you do.

I know many (like me), who work in the public sector and for non-profits, are there because these factors-- either alone or in combination-- outweigh the monetary gains. 

As leaders, we need to think about retaining the best and how we can convey a strong sense of purpose, ensure that people have training and developmental opportunities, and then let give them some space to shine! 

I would add another factor that I see having significance, and that's a social connection.  We live in an increasingly interconnected world, where work gets done through partnerships and teams and this makes work fun!

To see a short, fun, animated version of Dan Pink's work, see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=u6XAPnuFjJc

Any annoying behaviors? Think derailer

I've been listening to Leadership guru Marshall Goldsmith's audiobook What Got You Here Won't Get You There, and I started thinking about civility in the workplace.  Goldsmith lists 20 behaviors that can limit career success.  As I listened to the stories associated with these behaviors, it was clear that they can also lead to a toxic work environment. 

I've listed the behaviors below, but if you'd like to hear it from the master, please go see the 45-minute presentation for Google on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WBeGAAYWg8

1. Winning too much
2. Adding too much value
3. Passing judgment
4. Making destructive comments
5. Starting with "no", "but" or "however"
6. Telling the world how smart we are
7. Speaking when angry
8. Negativity or "Let me explain why that won't work"
9. Withholding information
10. Failing to give proper recognition
11. Claiming credit that we don't deserve
12. Making excuses
13. Clinging to the past
14. Playing favorites
15. Refusing to express regret
16. Not listening
17. Failing to express gratitude
18. Punishing the messenger
19. Passing the buck
20. An excessive need to be "Me"

Unconscious Bias

When thinking about who you mentor, or even who wants to mentor you, we need to consider unconscious bias.  We should be thinking about this in many other arenas too -- recruiting, hiring, development, etc. 

Unconscious bias refers to a judgement you make about a person usually based on limited knowledge when you're not even aware of doing it.  For example, when you meet someone who graduated from the same school as you, you have an instant connection and may prefer hiring this person rather than others who may have stronger credentials.

I saw an interesting talk by Mahzarin Banaji, a Harvard researcher who has been at the forefront in this line of social science research for at least 20 years.  Dr. Banaji led the group through a very interactive presentation of the cognitive research that explains how well-intentioned people have these unconscious biases that make them do things that are not so great.

She noted how people have a strong capacity to imitate others (just stick your tongue out at a baby and see what happens) and as leaders we need to think about who might be following us!

Some points that stuck with me:

• Sterotypical associations are hard to break
• Discrimination happens by those we help (not just those we don't help)
• Blind interviews produce greater diversity
• We pass judgement in the first few minutes of meeting someone

Dr. Benaji noted that in the book Freakonomics, author Steven Levitt tells a story about data that shows that those who had fluoride in their water now make more money because they have nicer teeth!

She showed a video of a person's face changing where people were asked to assess how smart they were and it found that people felt those whose eyes were closer together weren't as smart!
http://webscript.princeton.edu/~tlab/demonstrations/


We might miss important elements-- See the selective attention test on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGQmdoK_ZfY

Co-author Tony Greenwald's website
http://faculty.washington.edu/agg/

The new Benaji-Greenwald book called Blind Spot, the Hidden Biases of Good People comes out on 12 February!

January is national mentoring month!

I mentioned in my last post that 20 percent of development as a leader comes from coaching, networking and mentoring.  Fortune 500 CEOs often site the role of mentors in their success and many have taken on the role to mentor others.  Mentors have played a huge role in my 25+ years as a leader, helping me with everything from advice on how to handle tough situations to  job choices and overall career development.   I had one really crucial mentor in my early years and then several over the last 10 or so. I also had many peer mentors.  I didn't always listen to their advice, especially when decisions were made for personal reasons, but I always welcomed their insight. 

Given that it's national mentoring month, take the time to offer yourself as a mentor.  If your organization doesn't have a mentoring program, you could be the catalyst to start one!  Ever been part of a speed mentoring event?  Like speed dating, you get equal number of mentors and mentees in the room with a facilitator who keeps time and after 10 or 15 minutes the bell rings and the mentees move to a new mentor.  By the end of the session, people have hopefully found a good match or a connection to someone who know a good mentor for that person!

If you have a mentor already, take this opportunity to thank them and be as specific as possible about how they have influenced your career!   Feel free to comment on how a mentor has influenced your career/life!

Developing Leadership Ability 70-20-10

According to the Center for Creative Leadership there is a model for learning and development that blends experience, relationships and training.  Referred to as the 70-20-10 model, approximately:

• 70% of learning is provided through the use of challenging assignments and on-the-job experiences.
•  20% of learning is developed through relationships, networks, and feedback.
•  10% of the learning is delivered via formal training processes.  

Does your organization put most of its leadership development resources into training?  Sometimes its easier to purchase external vendor training rather than develop the internal infrastructure to support succession planning with stretch/rotational assignments, coaching, mentoring, and action learning.  The weaker this internal support infrastructure, the more important the formal training will be, but it can't be a close substitute for the lessons learned on the job and
through feedback from peers, bosses and mentors.

Stair Step Leadership Model

 

 

 

Yesterday, I mentioned OPM's Leadership Competency framework and how all competencies aren't equal.  OPM puts leadership competencies into this stair step model to indicate what competencies leaders should have at the various levels of leadership.  The arrows across show that these build as you go up the chain, so that by the time you're an executive, you've got it all!  This said, the competencies actually listed in the boxes are those that are likely to be most important at that level.  I love frameworks; however, I think this model falls somewhat short.  We need to be helping leaders at the lowest levels with vision and strategy -- they are key building blocks from the lowest level on up.  They are also important contributors to innovation. Somewhere in this model, there needs to be systems thinking -- an understanding of the entire organization and how the pieces fit together.  This is why intern and leadership programs that place people in multiple positions across the organization can be incredibly valuable in producing truly corporate leaders.  Would welcome any thoughts on this and other models being used. 

 

 

 

 

OPM's Leadership Competency Framework

In 1991, the Office of Personnel Management identified and validated individual and organizational competencies that are important for the effective performance of supervisors, managers, and executives. It has evolved and the current model defines a set of 27 competencies, grouped into five categories that track with executive core qualifications for the senior executive service, though they are applicable to all levels of supervision and management.

OPM LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES
Leading Change	. Flexibility . Resilience . Service Motivation . Continual Learning	. Creativity/Innovation . Vision . External Awareness . Strategic Thinking
Leading People	. Integrity/Honesty . Cultural Awareness	. Conflict Management . Team Building
Building Coalitions/Communications	. Oral Communication . Written Communication . Interpersonal Skills	. Influencing/Negotiating . Partnering . Political Savvy
Results Driven	. Decisiveness . Customer Service . Technical Credibility	. Problem Solving . Accountability . Entrepeneurship
Business Acumen	. Human Resources Management . Financial Management . Technology Management

This framework provides an interesting approach to thinking about our leadership skills.  Of course, not all competencies are equal-- some are more important than others depending on the job, culture, environment, and leadership level.   I'll use this framework over the course of the year to touch upon key competencies and how we can strengthen them.

For more information:
http://www.chcoc.gov/Transmittals/Attachments/trans751.pdf

Inspiration

Today I picked up Seth Godin's book Whatcha Gonna Do With That Duck? It's a compilation of some of his best blog posts from 2006-2012.  Perhaps it'll be an inspiration for me as I pursue this blog.  I first heard Seth Godin speak while I was in business school back in 2007, and I remember that he came across as a marketing genius and someone with a great amount of creativity and humor.  I left  inspired and wanting to read all his books, likely a result of his superb marketing skill ;-)   He also introduced me to Stumble Upon www.stumbleupon.com a site/app that enables you to find web content for a wide range of things you might be interested in and some more inspiration!

For his blog:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

Resolution to be a better leader - positive thinking

I've made a resolution to be a better leader this year and I thought I could take you along for the ride!

A leader plays an important role in setting a positive tone in an organization.  I am taking a simple mason jar and putting it on my desk starting today.  When good things happen, I will write them on a post-it and slip it into the jar.  When I'm having a bad day, I can pull out the papers in my jar and reflect on all the positives.