Management Craft

Disenthrall Ourselves of the Past #management

I took another listen to Ken Robinson's TED talk about education. Love that one. During the talk he quotes Abraham Lincoln:

"The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country."

Such a great word, disenthrall, and a wonderful challenge for us all.

Most of our barriers are self-imposed. Luck is there. Talent plays a role. Timing is everything. Chaos creates momentum and reverberation. But the PAST - now that is one of the most powerful forces in our lives.

Not all past should be cast aside. Learning is anchored in the past. And yet, and yet. Lessons learned today can become tomorrow's shackles.

As you head into the week, think about the ideas or practices that you should disenthrall yourself from. Share the Lincoln quote at your next staff meeting and kick off a mighty conversation.

Don't Worry Yourself With Others - #doyourjob #management

I am one of those folks who watch the super bowl for the entertainment, not the football. Not just the ads and half-time show, but also the stories of triumph and beating the odds.

During yesterday's telecast, I was struck by the interview with soon-to-be MVP Eli Manning who said that his coach encouraged players to "do their jobs." The point he was making was that each player had a role and needed to focus on executing his role, not worrying about what others were doing or playing armchair quarterback/running back/tight end/kicker/and so on. Team members need to own their jobs and trust their fellow team members to do the same.

We should do this, too.

I am NOT saying that we should focus only on ourselves, work poorly with others, or adopt a survival of the fittest mentality - me, me, me. I am not suggesting corporate narcissism. Regular readers will know that is not my point here because I would never suggest this.

Here is the point: Think about how much better you and your team could be if everyone focused on his or her job, his or her contributions, his or her role within the team. A great team is made up of strong team members.

What gets in the way?

• Some people find it more interesting to think about what others should be doing differently. This is lazy and weak.
• Some people define success as compared to others. This approach will never serve you well.
• Some people don't hold themselves to a high enough standard.
• Some people are not clear on what their role is or how it they are expected to contribute.
• Some people get so wrapped up in the drama of the team that they lose sight of what the team is responsible for contributing. This issue, BTW, is different from being mission driven. I have worked with several health care clients, for example, where the team felt they were dedicated to saving lives and healing but who were not making the connection between their team dysfunction and their ability to manifest the mission.

I see these issues when working with struggling individuals and teams. I have wanted to hit team members over the head with a metaphorical 2-by-4 and say, "just do your job, don't worry about others."

So much energy gets soaked up by this crud. The opportunity costs are HUGE.

I bet we all could do better if we remind ourselves to just do the the work - our work. To do our thing and support others so they can do their things. To define success while resisting the urge to envy or covet other people's lives or roles.

And as managers, part of "our job" is to institutionalize this way of thinking and doing, like Manning's coach apparently did.

Love this #ted talk from Shawn Achor - Will help you be happier.

Check out this supercharged and amusing talk from Shawn Achor - it is excellent and has the potential to help us all live more fulfilling - and successful - lives. 12 minutes.

Action and Mental Garbage Model

I hope you have a great week. Here is a quick model that I hope helps you shape your week. You choose the path and how many self-imposed barriers you allow to slow you down. Openness - versus defensiveness - enables us to fully trust in ourselves because we take in the world fully and can respond flexibly. When we carry a lot of mental garbage, we rely more on history that might not be relevant for today, inflexible mental models, manic mantras, and motivational posters to guide us. Why do we need to list our values? Answer: Because we are not open enough to fully trust ourselves.

I saw the master in action this weekend. #leadership #managment

I spent an afternoon with a dear friend yesterday. We chatted over lunch and walked around his beach town. I have always admired his engaging and caring way - he is a leader who makes others feel like they have his full attention and consideration and they do (that's the important part - it is sincere, not an act).

Why? Because he thinks and lives this way. He notices people and things and takes the initiative to be helpful and caring. More so than most people. More so than I do - by a long shot.

I have always known this about my friend but I was reminded - in a vivid way - during our walk. Those who we passed received a smile and hello. Someone had dropped a baby bottle on the walking path, he picked it up and put it on the cement wall so the owner could find it and no one would trip over it. We passed a couple who were taking pictures of each other, he asked if he could take their picture together and then had some fun with them to make sure they got a great shot. He interacted with people on the street, in shops, and in the restaurant in ways that made each smile and brighten.

You might be thinking that I am a little nuts for calling this out because these human acts are quite normal - or they should be. It is true that any one of these moments would be considered what it means to be a good person - nothing extraordinary.

But here is the distinction. He oozed care in every moment. He was aware of others, noticed others, proactively cared for others, and did so while being fully engaged in our conversation. I was much less aware of others.

My friend is someone for whom people love working and he brings out the best in them. And here is the main point of this post. WE can and should do this, too. It does not take a training class or being a particular behavioral style. We can relate to others in this way if we:

• Choose to be a powerful and positive influence on others.
• Take the time and attention to notice others.
• And then be gracious, kind, friendly, and helpful more often.

Don't go rushing to include these expectations in your new employee orientation. Don't add it to your performance review or create a management competency called, "caring." Just try being more demonstrably caring and see what happens. Lead from a basis of positive care for others and you will find that your days, weeks, and years are more amazing and that your good vibe spreads.

After spending the afternoon with my friend, I found myself thinking about how I can improve what I notice and how I respond to others. I am no ogre, BTW, but I can and want to demonstrate care more often - for everyone, not just a chosen few.

You have likely heard the mind teaser about the tree - if a tree falls in a forest but no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

I have to ask the same thing about caring for others. If we care but no one experiences our affection and goodwill, does it exist? I think that the vast majority of people are caring in terms of our intentions. Most of us are quite selective about how we give of ourselves and I am not sure this serves us, our intentions, or others well.

These tiny actions - smiles, pictures, gestures of help - add up and to make a very big and wonderful impression. Remember, though, that although this benefit is compelling, it should not be the reason that we choose to live a more generous (of ourselves) life. My friend does not think about this. In fact, I am guessing he would think this blog post is quite odd indeed.

What's Your Big Idea? How Many Can You Generate? #management #innovation

This post is inspired by four thoughts coming together.

1. A few years ago I pitched a book idea to Berrett-Koehler's President, Steve Piersanti. He passed on the book because the idea was unremarkable. He asked, "what's your big idea?" And he said, "I don't see it here." He was right, BTW.

2. A mentor of mine was trying to help me lower my expectations for a project that was frustrating me by suggesting that, "most people have only one revolutionary idea in their lifetime." He was wrong, BTW.

3. I was reviewing a piece of writing for a friend. He took a perfectly logical approach to laying out his idea but one that ended up stripping out the drama, magic, and most importantly, his big ideas. Ironically, his topic is innovation. And he has great ideas - big ideas.

4. I was re-reading Meg Wheatley's Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World (a must read for all managers) and was re-struck by her assertion that information is a force, not a thing. And that change occurs in jumps enabled by invisible connections. Big ideas are ideas that make quantum leaps and this happens every day (it is not a rare thing, see #2).

I believe that you and all your team members have the potential to generate MANY big ideas. But often, we don't know how to A) identify them, B) convey them, and C) use them.

Think about this the next time you create an email, a PPT, or have a conversation. What is the big idea that you want to share? Is it coming through in your communication? Start with the big idea first to generate interest and engagement. Great books do this, too. I remember one of my publishers suggesting that I move a chapter that I had in the second half of the book to the beginning because it contained the big idea (in Focus Like a Laser Beam, I think). I fought to keep the Tony Bennett story in the front of my book Hip and Sage because I knew that it encapsulated the big idea behind the book (I won, BTW, and I love the way it starts the conversation about relevancy and vibrancy).

When I coach, I am looking to discover the big idea each person has that makes up their unique brand of leadership - what is driving them every day?

And as a manager, you will catalyze team member success when you help each person define and convey their big ideas. In fact, I think one of the funnest and most special things we can do is to be mid-wives for big ideas.

Managers: Embrace your flawedness - and everyone's. @brenebrown

I love this article from Brene Brown called, Want to be Happy? Stop trying to be perfect.

When I teach management, I often talk about how we are all highly flawed and highly talented and embracing it all is a recipe for success (not just the talent part). I don't freak out when people do annoying or strange little things - we all do this. I don't let a botched delivery get in the way of great intent. I have stopped hiding my scars because I know everyone can see them. We are our idiosyncrasies.

I was talking to someone recently who pointed out a typo on one of my blog posts. I thought, "really, that's what you want to talk about?" I bet I have more typos than freckles in the sunshine. But seriously, how we think about flaws and imperfections can become barriers - or not if we don't stop to take too much notice.

And besides, most of it is in the eye of the beholder which means it is all bunk.

Managers, Are You Telling TOO Many Stories? Be a little more messy. @tylercowen

I really like this TEDx talk from economist Tyler Cowen called Be suspicious of stories. I think anyone in a leadership role should watch it and think about what it might mean. Like Tyler, I am not advocating we stop using story - but it is useful to think about the potential ramifications of oversimplifying things through story. Stories, by their nature, are easy to remember and draw broad conclusions.

For managers and leaders, stories can pull people in, galvanize them, and build momentum. The down side is that many situations are more complex than can be told in a story and are not helped when made into a punchline.

I have seen employees roll their eyes and have heard them say their manager was clueless after hearing him/her oversimplify a situation. Work life (and personal life!) is messy and stories can increase mental laziness.

Check out the talk here.

My favorite line from the video is, "It might just be a mess." How often do we force one or two plotlines onto something that is not plot driven? How often do we assume intent where there is just chaos? How often do we rush into a convenient narrative that does not fit the circumstance because we can't find a narrative that works?

Share this video as pre-work for your next team meeting and see what happens.

 

Hallmarks of Good #Communication Systems and Practices

Here is a list of criteria I use to evaluate communication systems and practices. While no system will demonstrate all of these elements, the more the better.

1. More PULL than PUSH. More than being inclusive, it engages people and is interesting.
2. Nimble and changeable with built in feedback loops.
3. No reduction of core content (intent, emotion, connective elements, calls to action). (Content degradation is common when information cascades from high to lower levels, for example.)
4. As simple as possible. Low hassle factor.
5. Works when imperfectly executed. Never build a system that only your top 10% of managers or employees will use properly. The best systems work even when people botch aspects of it.
6. Serves all/many stakeholders and users.
7. Sustainable. Can be maintained and continued.
8. Leaders change with the topic (is not a one way or lead by same person all the time).
9. It is clear – everyone knows their role and the overall flow of information.

Use this list to test out your current communication practices or when you come up with new ideas for improvement.

#Book Signing Disaster and How to Avoid - Funny and Tragic

I just got an email from someone who discovered an essay I wrote a few years ago about a book signing distaster. The essay was published by the legendar editor Alan Rinzler and is meant to be dark comedy. You can check it out here.

I remember reading this essay to a group of aspiring writers....they seemed a bit horrified, because they were all likely hoping that nothing like this would ever happen to them. It likely will, however, because nearly all writers have similar experiences at some point.

I thought I would share this again as we head into the weekend. Sometimes the best way to progress through difficulty is to laugh and learn. Enjoy.

When and How to Stand Your Ground #Management

I was talking with a committee about the launch of their new program. When they agreed to own the design and delivery of the program, they did so with a few assumptions and implied agreements. They told the employees what they were working on and the overall parameters they would follow. The employees seemed interested and positive.

Along the way, the senior leaders changed a few things and in one case, made what the committee had told the employees untrue. The committee members were upset and considered quitting the program.

As is often the case, miscommunication was at the heart of this issue. For two weeks the committee members quietly stewed and their disappointment was palpable.

When they finally talked with leaders, they found our that while there were a couple of changes to the design of the program, these changes were not going to have the negative effect they feared. The committee felt a sigh of relief and were once again mentally on board.

The reason I share this story is because I think it is a shame that two weeks went by before the conversation took place that would resolve the issue. Sometimes the needed conversation never happens because we assume that we cannot have an impact or we assume that what we have heard is correct.

What's eating you? I have found that at least 50% of the time, the issue is more miscommunication than anything. This is not always the case, but often. What a shame to waste time and effort - and engagement - while these issues linger in the workplace air.

Start the conversation. State that you want to make sure you are understanding the decisions and intentions correctly. Ask clarifying questions that ensure that you are not jumping to conclusions or that help the decision makers consider all relevant information. Share your concern and how you think changes will impact employees. Take a stand - in a productive and balanced way. Don't start off the meeting saying you are ready to defect from the project team, but share that you are worried about the change and want to make sure you have the facts.

Management is a proactive act. Initiate. Don't wait. The absence of action = absence of management.

Meaning: The "wolf" of control in trendy sheep's clothing? #leadership

I am doing some digging around about meaning and here is a thought to chew on this new week and year. What if leaders should NOT and CANNOT make work meaningful for others? What if this idea reinforces control, extrinsics, and thereby serves to wreck not build our feelings that our work has meaning?

What if whether our work has meaning comes from deep within each individual and as a result of how we each define our experiences? What would this mean for leaders? What should they be doing differently to help every team member do his or her best work?

This is all a bit existential, I realize. Even so, I believe and see that many of our well-intended efforts to improve our workplaces are based on flawed premises and therefore doomed to fail.

This is an important topic to discuss because we know that meaning is a key measure of satisfaction. People want to know that their work matters. As leaders we should do whatever we can to help our team members thrive. We should not, however, tell them why they ought to find their work meaningful or attempt to define what makes work meaningful, generally speaking. There is no general rule here and doing this would throw water on our employees' flames of interest, engagement, initiative, and internal drive.

Leaders can help affect meaning, however, although not by focusing on meaning.

• Get to know each person and build strong and trusting bonds.
• Catalyze - let your employees pull you into their world and let them lead in it. Be a great follower.
• Take the initiative to offer catalytic (not control oriented) coaching.
• Let jobs morph with change and be open and eager to hear about ideas team members have for how their role ought to be reinvented.
• Know what the concept of a zen moment might look like. Promote "being here now" working habits.
• Allow each employee to get excited about and tuned into the aspects of their work that bring him or her the most satisfaction and fulfillment. We all define "progress" and "accomplishment" differently. As the leader, you get to decide how performance will be judged and rewarded, but you cannot tell people which task means more to them.
• Never let a day go by without letting your team members know how much they mean to you. Be thankful, gracious, and caring. Nurture. No one should doubt that they matter here and to you. No one. Be real about this, too, don't use some schlocky practiced reinforcement schema. Can you say that's transparent?

Example: I was recently in a situation where the client was telling me how important I was to the team. This is nice to hear, but did not improve my feelings that I was doing work that was meaningful. This particular team has the money to spend on consultants and has good intentions. But they have not yet embraced their need for individual and team reinvention for the leadership team. They give praise for my work, but my measure of meaning is that I can catalyze change. It happens a lot, but not yet in this situation. So while I love hearing that I am important to my client, I would give that up to have a more substantive impact on their practices and beliefs. It is a work in progress!

I once had a boss who liked to tell me I was important to the team. But then his actions said the opposite. If he wanted me to feel genuinely cared for, he would have taken the time to understand what drives me, excites me, and makes me want to become immersed. He didn't and didn't guess correctly. He applied what he thought were universal management approaches to his good intention of wanting me to stay with the company and flourish and expand the business. When it comes to meaning, there are no universals.

Start with yourself: You are the designer and implementor of your work experience. You define meaning from your perspective and for your work situation. What brings out the biggest and most engaged you? What can you do to pump up your interest? How will you relish and fully experience what's happening right here and now? Herein lies the true potential for leaders. Going first, discovering the meaning they derive from their daily experiences, talking about the parts of your job that matter most to you, being here now (even when creating a strategic plan, are you being in the room with a group of talents colleagues who are together reinventing the organization).

 

The Best Decision Makers are Reflective - Happy New Year #leadership

Many people set goals for the new year. I do that, too. Even more important than goals, however, is reflection. How did 2011 go? Of what are you most proud? What would you do differently if you could have a "do-over?" If your last year ended up being your last year, would it have represented your best living?

Reflection is critical for our growth because it is often only through looking back that we can see things that will shape our future.

What is reflection? We throw this word around, but do we all know how to do it? I am continually honing my ability to reflect. Try these practices:

• Take stock - define and list your accomplishments.
• Be real - acknowledge those outcomes that make you wince when you think about them.
• Remember players - this is perhaps most important - who enriched your life, helped you become a stronger and better person, cared for you (and visa versa)?
• Look around - how have your physical suroundings changed? What did you buy, get, make, and get rid of and do your things add value to your world? What's missing? What's unneeded?
• Notice how you feel - assess your vitality and the habits that have either improved or diminished your health.

Reflection allows us to learn - to do the next year better than the last. We all want this. New Year's Resolutions and goals are wonderful and can generate breakthroughs. This is especially true when they are informed by a humble and nonpunitive look back.

Happy New Year and here's to a great 2012 - the Year of the Dragon. Brave, bold, benevolent.

Peace and #Management

As we head into the holiday season and new year, I thought I would take a few minutes to wish you success and peace.

Peace of mind - that you know you are doing your best and showing your team love and admiration.

Peace in alignment - that you are in symphony with how you are leading people, leading your business, and leading your life.

Peace in progress - that you feel a sense of accomplishment and are moving forward.

Peace in the unknowing - that you embrace the chaotic nature of a full life.

Peace in humbleness - that you have strong self-confidence that is constantly informed and reinvented through learning from others.

Peace in restoration - that you know you deserve and need to recharge and that you enjoy this time and allow yourself this indulgence.

Peace in dreaming - that you are excited but not nervous about the future such that you can embark fully and without preventable self-induced distractions.

I wish you peace - a calm that is not settled, but is powering your work and your life. May you be compelled and composed, inspired and gentle, ready and reflective. May your resolve be steeled by passion and ownership.

The Tentacles of Our Ways – Why Change is So Hard

Someone asked me the question, "why is change so hard?" I thought I would share my response with you. Your thoughts?

We might like to think that change initiatives will go smoothly if we have and implement a good and detailed plan. The plan is critical, for sure, but is rarely the driver for success because change involves more than going from A to B. Change is hard because it requires hundreds of trigger flips and culture change.

There are many behavioral or belief trigger points of change adoption for each affected individual including initial acceptance of the idea, understanding of the plan, how our work will be affected, our feelings and beliefs about the change, and the specifics of each change as they are implemented. As these triggers are flipped, we move forward in the transition process. If due to resistance, lack of clarity, or operational challenges a trigger does not flip, then we may become stuck in the old way. As William Bridges wrote in Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change, “to begin you must first end.” When a trigger fails to flip, transition slows or stops. Multiply this by many triggers and employees and it is a miracle that change ever occurs.

Change does happen, however, and is often accompanied by a supporting workplace culture change. As change leaders, it is useful to think of a change initiative as creating a new reality or shifting the organizational culture. Every large change – even something as seemingly straightforward as a new software system – involves changing what people do (tasks, roles, structures), how they do it (processes and habits), and why they do it (beliefs and values). These three categories correspond to the layers of organizational culture as defined by John Kotter and James Heskett in Corporate Culture and Performance. To change culture, we must affect and align all three layers. If all we do is change what we do, new practices will eventually be in conflict with the culture and we will begin reverting back to the old way (the obesity problem in America is a great example of this – the “what” is usually quite clear to people and they change habits for a time, but many do not realign their values and beliefs to sustain and support change).  Our efforts to implement change will be more successful if we reach all three layers and especially the inner layer of values and beliefs. As Simon Sinek wrote in his book, Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action, people follow because they believe what you believe. Change requires many willing followers (see his TED talk here).

Change occurs through emergent, not reductionist practices. Individual triggers of change adoption and cultural elements are linked and co-dependent like meshed and far-reaching tentacles. What’s the message for change leaders? Create an integrated plan, engage and enroll employees in the “why,” and attend to as many trigger points as you can. Think nonlinear. Think messy. Think terrier-like persistence required here. Think wonderfully human and the hardest work you will ever love.

From Wild Fires to Bonfires #management

One of my clients used this phrase and I thought it was a great way to describe what great managers do better than struggling managers.

• Great managers: they spend more time building relationships and teams (bonfires) and less time reactively fighting daily fires (wild fires) because they have built strength and independence and ownership.
• Managers who struggle are often consumed by their daily to-do list (wild fires) and spend less time around the corporate bonfire.

Management is a social act with the primary responsibility of helping people and teams do their best work. Spending time fighting wild fires will not get us there. I realize that for some of you, this idea might seem unrealistic, but start small. Try every week to shift some time from wild fire to bonfire.