Management Craft

What will your legacy be?

Happy new year's eve!

What a wonderful day/week to think about your legacy. What mark do you want to leave on your organization, family, friends, community - the world?

I want to thank Wally Bock, who writes the great blog Three Star Leadership. Wally did a review of my latest book, 10 Steps to Be a Successful Leader. Here is a snippet from the post:

You won't get much from the book unless you're willing to dig in and work at the exercises, answer the questions and fill in the forms. If you want to just think you've learned how to be a better manager, this is not the book for you. But if you really want to do better, there's a lot here to help you.

I echo that. If you want magic, try the Vulcan Mind Meld. If you want to try out a few practical methods, the book will be a great resource for you.

Back to your legacy. The final "step" or method I address in the 10 Steps book is: Leave a Legacy of Capacity to Produce. Here is a short portion from the beginning of that chapter:

Step 10 – Leave a Legacy: Develop People and the Organization’s Capacity to Produce

Management is a sometimes thankless, stressful, and difficult profession. Most of us don’t do this kind of work for the money or the fame and we often get neither. We manage because we want to make a big difference. We step up and into the mucky muck because we know we can leave things looking, sounding, and feeling better than when we took over as manager. That’s the vision that ties together millions of dedicated managers. I love working with managers because they are the engines of the organization. If the engine starts running 10% better, the effect is amazing. All managers want to make a difference. The particular shape of that impact is your legacy. When you leave the job or company, what mark do you want to leave?

Let’s do a little reality check here. How many of you have taken over a new job and found that the person left the department in a shambles? Roles are unclear, people are fried, and projects are not getting done on time. This happens a lot and not just when a manager is terminated. Many talented and smart managers leave a mess for the next person. Why does this happen?

Let’s think about why people leave jobs. Many of the managers I know who have quit, left their jobs when they were burned out and couldn’t take it any longer. We rarely leave jobs when we are at the height of our effectiveness, but I would like to propose that you do. Unless you are about the have a stress-induced heart attack or something, make sure you leave your department looking and feeling great. Instead of short-timer’s disease (becoming a lame duck during your last two weeks), try setting a new standard in leaving well. It feels great to go out in this way.

Visualizing Your Legacy

What kind of a legacy would you like to leave? Is there a particular project that you want to be known for? Would you like to create an amazing team? Do you want to revolutionize the way your company plans for innovation? Do you want to lead record-breaking gains in financial performance? Imagine that you are a fly in the elevator one week after you leave. Two people are talking about you. What is it you want them to say?

Things are Simple Here - R.I.P. Benazir Bhutto

Bill and I had just pulled into the parking lot of our local Subway shop for lunch when I heard on the radio that Benazir Bhutto had been assassinated after a rally in Pakistan (CNN has good coverage here). I don't claim to understand all the issues and politics in Pakistan, but I am sad that Bhutto was killed. I heard her speak a few years ago and she struck me as a strong, courageous, and persevering leader. The world could use more leaders like her. She certainly took a chance when returning to Pakistan and I would guess that she knew there would be attempts on her life. But she did it anyway and I think she enlivened the dialogue in ways that will endure.

I felt strange as I sat in the Subway Restaurant eating my veggie patty sandwich and diet Coke. I reflected on the differences between what must have been her daily life and mine. Worlds of difference. And I felt some guilt that the news of her assignation had not changed my daily routine. I was thinking about her all through lunch.

I would have liked to seen what Benazir Bhutto could have done for Pakistan and as a role model for leadership in the world.

On a much different but also related note, I have been editing my mother's memoir. She died last year and had nearly finished her book. My family asked me to edit it and finish it for her so that we could publish it for the family. The book is called, "Place Settings in Time," and it chronicles the changes in women's lives as seen through how they set their dinner table. She starts with her mother in the early 1900s and writes about all the changes up through today that have impacted how we set our tables. I found the section during the second World War really interesting. She wrote about rationing, and making aprons and curtains out of sugar bags and flour bags. The sacrifices made by all families during the war were profound and tangible.

How our world and prosperity has changed....

My life, I realize, is so simple and rich compared to those in other worlds and of other times. For those who live like me (most of you, I would guess), our daily worries involve looking for sales on our favorite brands of jeans or cars and the selections that will fill our iPods and Kindles.

99.9% of the emails I send and those I get concern matters so small that perhaps they ought not matter at all. We have filled up our heads, bodies, and days with small meaningless things. Do we have room to lead?

I don't mean to be preachy, I am just reflecting on this today....

The Work Must Be Interesting

I like this post from Johnnie Moore called, No conductor? It shares a quote from Benjamin Zander about how  chamber musicians have a higher level of job satisfaction that symphony musicians because in a chamber group there is no conductor. I think it is a great point and recommend you read the post and click throughs.

When Bill and I go to the symphony (we are going to hear Beethoven's 9th this Sunday) I like to sit close and in one of the elevated boxes. Why? I like to see the expressions on the faces of the musicians and I like to watch the conductor. While chamber music is more satisfying to play because there is no conductor, I also think that the quality of the part is important.

Have you noticed that many of the symphony members don't play very much at all? Aside from the 1st chair players and soloists, some of the parts seem downright boring. A note here, a note there - nothing that sounds like a real piece of music.

If you love music and study it for years so that you can play professionally, I bet the last thing you would want to be doing day in and day out is pay 4th chair parts.

And then there is the politics of the symphony - the hierarchy and the drama involved in getting from 4th to 1st chair. And what about these traveling soloists? They've got it good, but imagine what it must feel like to be a 1st chair player playing back-up to some soloist who travels the country taking the best parts from 1st chair players city after city.

I think there are a lot of differences between symphony and chamber music.

Which does your work environment look and feel like? See your workplace from the perspectives of your 3rd and 4th chair players. Many of them would like to make a greater impact - to get a more meaty part every now and then.

And what about your rock stars? Are you taking away their most interesting work when you bring in consultants?

I've Gone Biodiesel

Bill and I have been getting along for about a year with one car and my motorcycle (by choice) but recently we have had to rent a second car on a regular basis. So it was time to buy. We knew that the next car would be either a hybrid or a diesel, but had not decided.

We were leaning toward a Prius hybrid (I am sorry if I offend anyone, but any other hybrid is not a valid hybrid - getting 28mpg instead of 24mpg is not good enough).

We test drove the Prius and then test drove a few VW diesels. We went with the VW Jetta Wagon TDI. Overall, it is better for the environment than even the Prius if we use biodiesel. Luckily, here in Seattle we have a lot of options for buying biodiesel (the good stuff too, B99 or B100). And my wagon should get 45mpg, too, so that is doubly good.

In case you are thinking biodiesel, here are a few interesting sites I found that help you determine if you have enough biodiesel stations nearby to make the transition work (although you can always fill with regular diesel in a pinch):

Biodiesel.org

Nearbio.com

FindbioDiesel.org

BioDieselAmerica.org

US Dept of Energy

And there are more. It is important to look at more than one locater because they all may show different stations and update at different times.

Now, if I could just get someone to help me convert Hazel (my motorcycle) to biodiesel....

Kindle and the Cat

Do you have distractions when you ease into your reading chair? We have three dogs and one cat. Paris is 13 years old and I have had her since I lived in a high-rise condo in Baltimore. To keep the peace, we have the house separated into Catland and Dogland. Paris lives in my office (which is quite large and used to be a garage before being turned into a room). My office is Catland.

Near my front window, I have a reading chair and lamp. It's a comfy chair - for me and for Paris. Whenever I sit in the chair, she rushes over and joins me.

Have you ever tried to hang onto a book and turn pages while dealing with a cat who is trying to distract you? I read a lot, so this arrangement is important. I have found that with my Kindle, I don't have nearly the problems for three reasons:

1. The Kindle is smaller and lighter than most books so I can easily hold it in one hand.
2. No physical page turning is needed! Paris has this habit of laying inside a book to let me know that my attention should be on her. It is hard to turn the page with a cat in your book.
3. Kindle is ambidextrous. Paris does not lay still, she moves around. To keep reading, I need to switch holding the Kindle from one hand to the next, which is fine because I can turn pages using either hand (there are page turning bars on the left and right).

Kindle is cat friendly. One more reason to love the Kindle - I can read and be a cat pillow at the same time. Here is a picture of sweet Paris. You can check out my other posts about the kindle here, here, here and here.

Best Work Not in the Office?

I like this article from the New York Times (found it via my Kindle) called, You Won’t Find Me in My Office, I’m Working. Here is a snippet:

The term “white space” implies a place set apart, physically and mentally. It is not only used by graphic artists to describe the empty space in a layout, but also by time managers to explain the minutes frittered away between appointments on office calendars.

Andy Hines, who studies the future of work at the Washington office of Social Technologies, a global consulting firm, said white space is “what we are looking for when we have thinking to do.”

As more an more workplaces become open and packed, we should seek to better understand how workspace affects productivity and stress.

New Year's Resolutions for Leaders

Have you started thinking about how you will kick off 2008 with a bang? Click here to download a free e-book I wrote a few years back called New Year's Resolutions for Leaders. It is designed to inspire a fresh look at the new year and give you ideas for getting things started with a bang (not a whimper).

I know a lot of people think New Year's resolutions are dumb - I see it as another opportunity to get focused and in action in a more powerful way.

I love the week between XMas and New Years - For Productivity!

Even as a self-employed person, I look forward to using the week between Christmas and New Years Day to get stuff done. And not just any stuff, but those nagging projects that are 75% done, or 50% done, or that I have put off beginning at all.

For most businesses, this week is slow and strange. No one wants to work. There are fewer meetings and this means you get to control more of your day. The phone rings less, there are fewer email pings and you don't likely have to give any big presentations. For consultants it is even better because none of my clients want to talk to me and there are no classes, speeches, or meetings.

Aahhh, a breather.

I have several projects that are earmarked for this week and I look forward to focusing on them and getting them done.

For those of you who keep up with the blog and know about my concept of chunking, this is a major week to chunk, focus, and be super-duper productive.

But Lisa, you might be thinking, you said that people don't like to work during this week. I am one of those people, and I just can't get motivated.

Here's my advice:

Start planning for the week of chunking NOW. Block out your calender.
Start getting excited about what you know you can accomplish.
Talk about the week with pals and significant others - be in conversation (reality is socially constructed).
Invite colleagues to partner with you on some of the more creative work - it will be fun!
When the time comes, put on your favorite working music and get down to business.

What's on your list for the last week of the year? Why not end it on a wonderful high note and then celebrate with a spot of bubbly (keeping the worlds separate, of course).

Scoble Disagrees With Me About the Kindle

Wow, are we ever traveling on different wavelengths! Check out Scoble's scathing 1-week review of the Kindle here.

He sees a lot of features missing that, frankly, I don't give a darn about. Here are a couple of the things he thinks the Kindle should offer:

1. No ability to buy paper goods from Amazon through Kindle.
4. No ability to send electronic goods to anyone else.
5. No social network. Why don’t I have a list of all my friends who also have Kindles and let them see what I’m reading?

I guess these features would be nice, but I don't seek them. I think Scoble wants this to be all-encompassing. It is a great tool for readers and for the pleasure of READING. I don't want my reading interrupted with visual noise regarding what my friends are reading. I don't need to use the device to order non-Kindle products from Amazon. I love that the Kindle store is just for Kindle products because it makes the navigation and selection process more streamline.

Scoble also thinks the user interface and menus suck. After using the Kindle pretty solid for one week, I think it works great. It will do what I want it to do very fast. And my hands have found the sweet spots and I now find holding the Kindle very easy as well. It is kind of like a golf club, you have to get used to the optimal grip.

But I wanted to share Scoble's perspective in case you are more like him than me!

If you are more reader than online social networking god/goddess, I think you will like the Kindle a lot. To buy books and newspapers and to read books and newspapers, it is tops. They still need more blogs available - right now they only have the top few A-list bloggers in each category and not ONE of the 200+ blogs I have in my aggregator.

Surviving the Holiday Party

You will likely think I am a scrooge, but here goes anyways. Many companies have holiday parties scheduled this week. I have seen and had to deal with the fallout of bad choices and bad behavior (including one under aged employee getting drunk and then getting into his car at the top level of the parking garage and having him slam into several of our customers' cars on the way down). I have also known leaders who have had to apologize to several people the next day for their behavior at the party (a sad, sad, thing and the respect is generally lost forever).

As a manager, I think you need to hold yourself to a very high standard. I suggest refraining from alcohol entirely or sticking to just one or two glasses of wine or beer. Refrain completely if you are the type who has a reputation for loose lips while under the influence (you know who you are).

I think it is fine to be informal and friendly, but it is never advantageous to act like a fool or to lose control.

In addition, I would recommend putting a limit on how much employees can drink and ensure people get carded. You need to look out for your employees' safety, health, and reputation. You also have the responsibility to protect the company against risk and damages.

Do you remember that episode of Seinfeld where George had two worlds, two Georges, and he did not want the worlds (Georges) to collide and intermingle? Managers have two worlds too - the professional work world and the not-at-work world. Holiday parties often invite the two worlds to collide, but it is best to keep them separate by minding your Ps and Qs at the party.

You know that side of you that your employees have never seen? Keep it that way.