Management Craft

Final Blog Post - The Five Most Important Beliefs for #Management and #Leadership

This will be the last blog post I do for the foreseeable future. I will not bore you here with the “why," but if you are interested I have included a bit more about my reasons at the bottom of this post.

I have distilled the essence of great leadership and management into five beliefs. Take on and act based on these beliefs and you will lead well. I promise! I have been observing and learning from the best leaders for 30 years, have held leadership positions for nearly 25 years and have written about management and leadership for 15 years. I have seen great leaders transform organizations and I have seen terrible leaders suck the life out of workplaces. I know you want to be transformative!

These five beliefs reside deep inside the very best leaders I have had the pleasure to work with over the years.

Five Beliefs at the Core of Great Leadership

1. We are highly talented and highly flawed. This belief should lead to two actions – greatness and tolerance. 1) You are amazing – so go BE amazing. Your organization needs that and you need it (don't be a Greyhound who never runs). 2) Chill out and be tolerant. You drive half the people around you a little nutty and others will irk you on occasion. Never let personality or style get in the way of working well with others. I am not suggesting you put up with abuse – but most of what irks us is just a clash in style.

2. Management is a social act – it occurs in conversation. Being able to cultivate and catalyze productive and progressive conversations is your currency for getting things done. If you are lacking progress, get people talking.

3. There is big power in small actions. Generating breakthroughs starts with tiny actions that reverberate, build, and then go BAM!! Almost every great outcome started with a tiny act. Take small actions every day in the service of your goals. You will make things happen. For more on this, see my post about the Butterfly Effect here.

4. Calm and persistent is the way to go. No one wants to follow a leader who runs around like his/her hair is on fire. No one wants to follow someone who does not follow through. Be strong, but don’t generate negative drama. Be like a redwood tree – strong, flexible, and a positive force.

5. Leading people is a privilege. You affect people’s lives every day – positively or negatively. Your actions can help people do their best work or send them to drink due to stress and boredom. Leading people is an awesome opportunity – act like you have won the job lottery every day (you have). Go forth and conquer with confidence and grace.

These five beliefs will help you with all the opportunities and challenges you face as a leader. These beliefs are the most important for us to take on and model, in my humble opinion. It all starts here.

Thank you for being a part of the Management Craft community. It is because of you, my dear readers, that being the voice of Management Craft has been a great experience.

If you would like to refer back to the very best posts from the blog, or share them with others, please consider picking up a copy of my “best of” book called, Never Ending New Beginnings. You can find it here and I really appreciate your support. This book brings together my best business writing.

Cheers and happy new year! Go 2013 and beyond!

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Why I am retiring the blog:

If you have been reading this blog for some time, you know I have incurable medullary thyroid cancer. Since my diagnosis and initial surgery, I have changed many things about the way I live and how I spend time. Top on my priority list was to stop the road warrior life of a global consultant and to focus more on health and balance. I loved the work but hated the stressful travel and the loss of leisure time.

I have returned to an internal organization development role for a large organization here in Houston. I get to do interesting work and do not have to travel. It’s just what I need. I will still do the occasional conference speech but will not be consulting any longer. And because I have a “real job” now, I am much more choosy about how I spend my nights and weekends.

Blogging about management is just not making it to the top of my list. I have not been giving this blog the attention any blog deserves.

I feel fine and am living an active life, but I have this “stuff” inside of me that could make things real crummy in the future. Hopefully not too soon, but there is no way of knowing and so in the mean time I am going to live like my life depends on it – diet, exercise, relaxation and enjoying the present. I get scanned at MD Anderson every few months to monitor what's going on with the cancer. Talk about test anxiety! :-)

Let’s stay in touch through email and Facebook, OK? I don’t want to say goodbye to you all, I just don’t want to feel obligated to keep up this blog.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your interest in my work through the years.

When we "B.S." ourselves...this is no way to manage!

I got my car serviced. All went fine. It runs nice.

I got this email (I have removed the company name and will call the author of the email "Bob.") from my car company:

Hello this is Bob from Vendor A.  I just wanted to touch base with you and make sure everything went okay with your service visit.  If you have any further questions or concerns that I did not get addressed please let me know so I can get them handled for you.

You will also be getting an email from Vendor A HQ with a link to a survey.  I would really appreciate it if you would take a minute out of your day and complete it for me.  This survey is my report card and I strive to earn a “10” or “yes” on every answer.  In fact anything below a “5” is a failing grade for me.  If there is anything I need to do to earn those “10” and “yes” grades from you please let me or my manager, Sally,  know so we can get everything resolved to make you comfortable in giving me those “10” and “yes” answers.

Thank you again for your time,

I know this approach is not unique. A lot of big companies are "asking" for perfect survey scores. It is a common practice. So why am I writing about it????

Because as common as it is...it is BS!!!!! BS!!!!!

Do you want real feedback? Do you want to know what you do well and where fixes are in order? Do you want your employees to be engaged for service's sake (versus to avoid punishment)? If you care one iota about any of these things, you would not take this approach.

The bottom line is that I was satisfied with my service but there were a couple of things I think could have been done differently. Do you think I am going to share this feedback now - knowing that Bob might be harmed? His 25 cents/hour raise in jeopardy? No, I won't.

It's time to get real. Fuzzy math and survey plumping is like kryptonite to Superman - it takes away your power to actually manage, improve, and build loyalty.

Managers unite! Call these practices out for what they are. Be the brave one to say, "what are we really getting when we do this?" Are you with me?

Be real, corporate America! Step outside your doctored Excel spreadsheets and take an honest interest in improving your business.

BTW - Bob is not the problem, here. Bob did a great job and he is just a pawn in this charade.

BTW#2 - The charade is really expensive. Nice investment? Not!

Finishing out the year...let's do something catalytic.

The colliding kick of my double latte with the buzz of my triple ginger cookie caused a brain spike. 2012 is almost over. What do I think of this year so far? What's still possible?

If you are a regular reader, you know this has been a busy year for me. Continued care of thyroid cancer, work changes, the move from Ohio, passing pets, new pets, and moving into our permanent home.

But the question that is most interesting to me is "what's still possible?" 22 days remaining until our manufactured year end births a made up new beginning. A powerful placebo effect, for sure, so we might as well take a double dose.

What's the downside? I don't see one.

Among the parties, days off, mall visits, and traffic jams, think about one thing you could do that might propel one of your goals forward - fast and far. Just one new idea or action. Then do that.

If you are a manager, you might think about how to finish the year leaving your team shouting, 'bravo!" OK, they won't do that even if deserved....can't let your great work go to your head. But you know what I mean. I am not talking about letting them go home a few hours early one day - that's a no-brainer. Do that, but do something remarkable, too. Spend time with each person - real time. Get the team together to create a compelling re-launch for the year. Let them drive the discussions.Do something meaningful.

I am not sure what I will do with the remaining 22 days. Something. Something that makes something happen. Hmmm....

Here's an idea - focus and reduce. Yes, I like where this is going....

Strip away one or more distractions. Simplify life a bit. I think I am going to decide what I am NOT going to try to do in 2013 to make room to do fewer things better (including things like frittering the weekend away if I want to). What a gift to myself this would be - less pressure in the new year! Even little things count - like getting rid of that storage space I have been paying for in New Mexico (for 3 years!). Deciding whether to write a book, and if not, letting all the parties know.

Ah, the luxury of reducing pressure. Moving on!

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time undoing, stopping, or giving up. Buit we need to do this more often. Give it a try.

Happy new year!

 

Blooming in Spite of It All #management #success

I saw this shrub in a parking lot median and had to snap and share this pic. As you can see, the tree has no leaves, is completely dormant - EXCEPT for one wonderful and lush bloom.

Made me think about a common question I have gotten over the years from managers - can I really have an impact in this dysfunctional organization!??!

The answer is always - maybe, it depends, yes if......

I admire people who bloom in spite of the dysfunction. They define great management, in fact. It is easy to thrive in a model organization that "gets it" on the most important ideas. It is much harder to make something happen when every fiber of the organization reacts to change like a transplanted organ sometimes rejects its new host.

Managers who bloom in spite of it all create teams who do the same. Yes, you really can make a difference when it seems so hard to do. It starts with seeing dysfunction as the reason you are needed, not as a barrier to doing your "real" job (whatever that means, cutting through the dysfunction is your real job, it is how you earn your salary, how you make a difference).

As we head into Thanksgiving week, I want to thank all of you out there who show us how this is done. You are amazing. Take a day off and then get right back in the game!

Great Performers - What's the Manager's Responsibility?

I like this post from John Kotter on his Forbes blog called, How to Retain the Heroes Within Your Workforce. Check it out. The suggestions, as you might imagine, focus on how to engage and USE your team's talents and that we need to actively do so.

And this begs a question - if you are a manager, does this mean that you should change things, manufacture challenges, adjust work tasks, to ensure that your top talent does not get bored or feeling like their work is not meaty enough?

Yep.

I am not suggesting that you manufacture tasks that are not useful or in alignment with the organization's goals. That would be irresponsible. But it is also irresponsible to lose high performers because they were not challenged. Your organization needs their best work. They want to do their best work.

Check out Kotter's post and think about the ways you can better engage your best performers.

 

Repetition Leads to Brain Pruning - Your Message Might Be a Lullaby

I attended TEDxHouston last weekend. It was a nice line up talks and a great collection of people. One of the talks that I found interesting was offered by Anthony Brandt - composer and music director. His message was focused on answering the question, "do we need the arts."His perspective, as you might expect, is that we do.

That's a given, here's what I found fascinating.

Anthony talked about what artistic endeavors do to our brains and how this relates to creativity. He was joined on stage by a string quartet who demonstrated his points through music.

Here's the first point: repetition "prunes" our brain. I love that word, pruning - not that I want to shrink and dehydrate my brain but that it offers a vivid image of what's happening. Anthony used the example of lullabies and why they put us to sleep - they are sweet and droning, the same phrases repeated with little change.

Instead of pruning our brains, art and artistic activities bend, break, or blend. The quartet played snippets of a Beethoven piece showing how he used all these techniques to build drama and interest.

As Anthony was talking, I could not help but think about how we communicate in the workplace. Lullaby or Beethoven? What I see is a lot of lullaby and very little Beethoven.

We tell leaders they need to communicate mission/values/goals again and again. And they do, reminding us through mouse pads and video clips. But unless we are going deeper, to the point of bending, breaking, or blending, we are just putting people asleep.

To change the culture, we need to persevere/repeat, but we should not do this in ways that prunes our brains. This idea offers leaders and opportunity to combat the lackluster vibe and engage our teams in building better futures.

What this means is that we need to let  - encourage actually - employees bend, break, and blend the ideas and this means that we need to be more flexible. Allow people to create and make the organization's goals and vision their own. Not to the point that the organization goes off course - but in ways that keep it moving forward.

Leadership lullabies can be found in everyday workplace practices and messages. Most staff meetings are lullabies.

Wake up your team! Wake yourself up! If you are not creating, you are pruning.

@BreneBrown on Courage

I attended a luncheon yesterday that featured speaker, author, and researcher Brene Brown. Her newest book, called Daring Greatly helps us see the intersection between vulnerability and courage and how they are connected. Check it our here.

Her TED talk is one of the most viewed. It is called The Power of Vulnerability, check that out here.

I was struck by how Brene said that she had engineered her life to be small. I can relate and know that I have done this at times, too. And then there are moments when we play it big and we align all aspects of our lives to showcase our power and our talent.

Have you noticed how different these experiences feel? It makes me wonder why we so often go small.

• Big feels like a ripe, juicy raspberry with fresh whip cream. Small is like a watery sugar juice box.
• Big feels like a Fall breeze in the mountains. Small feels like a coat closet in an old house.
• Big feels like a stand ovation. Small feels like waiting for a return phone call.

Why do we engineer our lives to be small?

It makes sense sometimes, I suppose. We need to want it. Over the last year, I have retreated a lot to focus on my health and that was and is the right thing for me. And yet, I know that I am ready for something big to happen soon. I will need to show up and act accordingly.

How 'bout you, are you ready to step into a bigger arena? If so, Brene's book might offer some inspiration for you.

Real is Rare

I was talking with a small group of leaders. The conversation got to a point of talking about intentions versus what's likely and our tendency to not be open about the differences. To not be open about the known barriers. To not be open about our expectations about how managers ought to prevail in the face of these barriers.

Why do we have such a hard time being real when we communicate?

I think this common failing leads to greater victim-itis. Why? When employees hear the corporate line - intentions without the real - they write off the message as unrealistic. If we speak our intentions and then openly discuss what this means and where it will be difficult, we build ownership.

Real -> Ownership

Corporate Line -> Victim

Given this, why is real communication so rare?

Let's take some time to discuss the tasks that don't make sense, address concerns, invite a challenge, and be open about goals that stretch way out there. What are the hassles? What are we doing that we should not be (everyone knows it)?

Don't paint your organizational "turds" pink. Doing so will not make the situation smell any better. It will cause people to disconnect, shrug off accountability, and under perform. Call it like you see it. Encourage others to call it like they see it.

Really.

BTW - On a related but different note, I have noticed that the less cocky I am about my work the better people think it is. It's nutty. I have been embracing my imperfectness and am getting more atta-girls and wows from others. Being real make you seem less flawed in others' eyes. Go figure.

Boss, it is your day! #boss'sday

It is Boss's Day. If you are a manager, why not turn this day around and use it to give thanks for the opportunity to lead. It's a privilege to have responsibility for a piece of the business and to shepherd a team to victory.

If your team forgets to acknowledge you, don't sweat it. Boss's Day is a made up holiday - first created to honor a dad, but now more commercial than anything. Many people don't even know about it. Don't hope for something and then be disappointed. If your team does not remember, it does not mean anything.

Doing something great for others is fun, so how about you bring in the Krispy Kremes. You suggest a mid-afternoon run for Pumpkin Lattes. You offer thanks to your team.

Be the boss that makes every day a great day at work.

Oh, and why not thank your boss, too! Be the nexus of celebration and radiating good vibes.

Several Things to Share - Way Overdue!

I just got internet service after being without for about a week. Moving is a drain! As a result, I am woefully behind in sharing a few important links with you. Stuff that is happening that you should check out. Yes, yes, I know that places like Starbucks have free wifi and that my excuse seems quite lame. But did I mention that I have been moving? I have had no time to lallygag at my local coffee shop.

This first share is very time sensitive with a 10/11 deadline. Pal and fellow blogger and brain expert Ellen Weber is doing a webinar for ASTD called, Revolutionize Your Next Meeting. A webinar about meetings from a brain expert? Hmmm, that's gotta be interesting! See more here. The webinar is on Thursday, 10/11 at 1pm Eastern Time. Oh, and it's FREE! Check it out here.

Speaking of ASTD, I have been meaning to tell you about a new community of practice for managers and leaders they launched called Workforce Development. As you know, I have been a member and actively involved with ASTD for years. They are a great organization with a lot of resources that can benefit managers. Check out the new community here - you can get some great stuff for free and also become a member to access very well produced and helpful learning resources and management training and development. And here is guest blog post of mine they put up called, Managerial Moments of Truth.

This next share is WAY overdue. I feel guilt! I have shared the work of Raj Setty before. He is an amazing thinker and fellow author and blogger. He is one of the most creative and determined people I know. He recently published a book called, Blogtastic! Growing and Making a Difference Through Blogging. Check it out here. In this book Raj has assembled lessons learned from dozens of bloggers including yours truly. If you have an interest in blogging - or just writing or communication in general, I think you will enjoy this. Oh, and check out the site for the book even if you don't want to blog. It is a great example of how to build an engaging product, book, site, and community together. Unless your business targets subsistence farmers living off the grid, there is something to learn here.

Here is one more share. My new puppy dogs! About a month ago we suffered the loss of our faithful dog Pako, who died of heart failure at the age of 13. We are dog people (and cat people) so we decided to adopt again from our local wonderful shelter (CAP, great place here in Houston). We are happy to welcome Hazel and Max to the family (the cats are not yet so thrilled). Here they are!

Hazel, 2.5 years old- a sweetie pie who loves to play.

MAX, 7 years old - We also call him "Houdini" because he can get into and out of everything!

Be Unstoppable

I was talking to two leaders. It was a good conversation overall, but there was a moment when they both perked up and smiled. One moment when the conversation changed. It happened when I said the words, "how to be unstoppable without compromise."

It is interesting how certain words evoke certain feelings.

The idea of being unstoppable is quite lovely. It speaks to perseverance. It speaks to follow-through. It speaks to courage and strength and triumph.

Being unstoppable means being the best we can be.

What matters to you enough that you might be willing to be unstoppable?

To be unstoppable we need to:

• Involve others.
• Keep asking. What else? What's next? How else? Who do we need? What can I do?
• Explore Plan B... Plan C... Plan D...
• Focus on progress not perfection.
• Relish the journey.
• Use hacks - whatever works for you - checklists, reminders, calendars, meeting structures, daily huddles, daily planning, etc...
• Sniff out barriers like a dog covets fresh bacon. Then get rid of them.
• And whatever else we need to do.

Like the idea of being unstoppable? Does it bring a smile to your face? Imagine what it feels like as you are doing it.....

 

 

Keep it Simple - Reflections from Scotland

Bill and I spent the last 10 days in Scotland. Hiking in the highlands, discovering ancient pubs and little known whiskies, and soaking in the Scottish way.

I am still jet lagged but I want to make sure and remember one important impression, even lesson. Simple can be good. We can say and do this in many ways. It happens when people choose to be picky/deliberate about a few things that are important but then being flexible about most everything else.

For example, one of our drivers was formerly a head chef. But he and his wife wanted to live in a particular small town. If you want to live in a small town, you might need to be ready to take most any job. The life is the ends that justifies the means.

Here is another example. We stayed at a small Inn owned by two art lovers. The place was cool and inspiring. It had other quirks and more than a few imperfections but was beautiful and felt oddly complete and right.

The grocery stores offer fewer options, but always a few interesting ones.

Life can be hard, but instead of trying to engineer all the hard out of it (strikes me that this would be the American approach, to tackle it all), they embrace it and build strength where it is most needed and important.

A good day is one that ends with a lively conversation with mates and a wee dram of fine whisky trickling to the back of our mouths. Warming our day and fueling contentment.

Simple works well. I am learning this lesson late but am glad I am learning it. If we choose what's important - if we obsess in the direction of our interests - then we can reduce a lot of stress and worry about things that don't matter - should not matter - can't be affected even if they do matter.

It's time to do fewer things and do them well. Really. I mean it. This is something we say but few of us do this well or are able to sell the idea at work. We should try harder and try again. I was talking to a leader a couple of weeks ago about this. He made some offhand comment about how doing fewer things well is a nice concept but a fairy tale. I assured him I was serious and made the case that it's the only thing that might really work - spreading our efforts so thin that there is no depth does not work and we know it.

I enjoyed Scotland a lot. I dig the vibe. The honest way of living and how each person sems driven by a couple of priorities, but not too many. 

I'm talking about @rajsetty @stevefarber @tonyschwartz and others tomorrow

Just another reminder to plan on attending the webinar I am presenting this Wednesday. Here are the details. It's free, it will be fun, and I hope you will attend. I will mention some of my favorite ideas from Raj Setty, Steve Farber, Meg Wheatley, Tony Schwartz, Mark Murphy, and David Weinberger.

Here is the official title of the webinar:

“Five Earth-Shattering Topics for Management Development That I Learned From My Friends"

Sign up to attend HERE.

Date: September 12th.

Time: 1:00pm eastern.

Cost: FREE!

Grab your PB&J and Monster and join in.

Are you a statistic or an outlier?

I was reading a post from a friend and want to share this line from his post:

"I am not just a statistic, provided I do what it takes to be an outlier."

I love the way he put this. It is so true, too. Are you being - I mean being, like how you are living in this moment - a statistic or an outlier? What are the outliers doing that is different? This is a provocative question and one we can all learn from.

Sometimes I feel like I am being - acting in this moment - like an outlier. Too often, though, I am like many.....floating along, living more in "wishful thinking" mode than "gettin' her done" mode.

As someone with big goals and vivid dreams - I would serve my intentions well to align my actions a bit better and ramp up my clarity and focus.

As someone living with cancer - I would serve my goals well to not let time dull my resolve and commitment. I must admit I feel like the last couple of months have not been my best in this regard.

I love the way my friend put this personal challenge out there - actually it is a simple acknowledgement of what is. Today's outcomes are the result of yesterday's actions. Today's actions will generate the future. Let's make sure our future is filled with amazing surprises, positive breakthroughs, and outlier outstanding performance.

I am doing free webinar for #astd, 5 earth shattering #management insights. Sign up today.

And before you think that living in the big state of Texas has made my head swell, the five earth shattering ideas are not mine - they are big insights that I learned from my smart pals (all of whom are also management experts and fond of riding on the edge - I will reveal their names during the webinar).

Here is the official title of the webinar:

“Five Earth-Shattering Topics for Management Development That I Learned From My Friends"

Sign up to attend HERE.

Date: September 12th.

Time: 1:00pm eastern.

Cost: FREE!

Who should attend: All managers, leaders, management developers, OD people and HR people. Anyone who reads this blog, for sure. You!! Go on, now, sign up.

During this webinar, I will share five management insights that ought to be at the center of our development plans or programs, but that likely aren't. And here is what I mean by earth shattering:

• Counter-intuitive - we are likely doing, thinking, or reinforcing the opposite and going in the wring direction! Yikes! Course correction needed.
• Often not associated with management - sometimes we think management is something it is not and fail to recognize what it really OUGHT TO BE.
• Catalytic - the idea has the potential to be a serious game changer. Creating new realities like this - POW! BAP! Zowy!

This will not be a boring bullet point webinar - no way. ASTD asked me to do a webinar and I pitched this idea because I knew it would be fun and insanely useful. They eagerly played along and I think that is pretty cool.

I hope to see you online next Wednesday and I hope to rock your managerial world. Tilt on your axis and spinning in new directions toward the bright light of the double sun galaxy. (Not to be confused with a double rainbow).

Who is Gary Hamel? Who is your source of inspiration?

I was talking to a small group of MBA students recently and asked if any had heard of Gary Hamel. Although I did not show it, I was shocked that none had (OMG!). I explained who he was and recommended his site, the Management Innovation Exchange. (OMG!)

I suppose I should not be too surprised, each generation has its own sources of inspiration. I was surprised, however, because Gary is not just a seasoned expert, he is very active and hip in the field of management innovation. He has remained on the edge. It was also a surprise because Gary Hamel seems like the kind of guru that would be mentioned a lot during an MBA program - he is an academic, an author, and a top speaker.

I was going to ask them if they had heard of Tom Peters, but I did not want to get too depressed (and feeling old).

Hamel, Peters, Kotter, Bennis, etc... Aahh.... the greats of my time. What matters is that you are inspired by great thinking. Your source of inspiration might be an artist, a scientist, or a hip-hop mogul. We can thank folks like TED.com for broadening our possibilities.

But seriously, if you are a manager or leader, you should know about Gary Hamel. Go check him out here.

Hip hop AND Hamel.....