Management Craft

Peer Judgment - Get Over it

Here is a wee snippet of a piece I just wrote on how leaders build culture.

When I talk to managers about this topic of culture and management team health, I am often asked what managers ought to do if they do not respect their peers. Here is my answer:

Get over it. Unless you are the CEO or a Board Member, and unless your are in a position to select and terminate these other leaders, you should give up your feelings of ill will and resolve to be a great partner and coworker. Judgments are conversations. Change the conversations, change the reality. Most every manager has been selected for a reason and most are talented. Many people drive us crazy or rub us the wrong way with how they express themselves. So what? Be a great partner anyway! Nearly every manager I have met has been a dedicated hard worker with good intent. Quirks? Sure. Annoying habits? Almost always.

We need to be the change we seek. We want our employees to rise above personal differences to work together as a cohesive team. We cannot and should not expect this if we do not model excellence in this area. I believe that who we are together, as a management team, is almost more important than what we do as individual managers and leaders.

What do you think? Agree? Disagree?

Take Time Out of Time Management for Business Success

Here is a guest post from Susan Reid, author of Discovering Your inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Journey to Business Success. I like Susan's point about the importance of how we treat time (and the pitfalls of falling into a time management mindset). Susan is doing a virtual book tour on several blogs - you can see the other posts and her tour stops here. Thanks for contributing to Management Craft, Susan!

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Take Time Out of Time Management for Business Success

How many times have you said to yourself, “I really need to manage my time better”? Or, when evaluating an employee, “they really need to work on their time management skills”?

We blame time for the reason why we don’t start a project. “I didn’t have time,” we explain, when we can’t get something done. “It took forever to get here,” we sigh when we are late. “There wasn’t enough time,” we complain, when a deadline is missed. We either don’t have any time, don’t have enough time, or don’t know if we will have time. What’s up with time?

It’s Never about Time

How much time is there in a day? There are 24 hours. That’s 1,440 minutes or 86,400 seconds. That’s how much time we all have in a day. So why is it that some people get more things done in their day then others? Because they’ve come to understand that it’s not about time. It’s about their priorities.

There is such power in being clear about what’s important to you. Knowing what’s important not only defines your priorities, it also gives you a basis from which you can determine what to say yes to and when to say no. Once you have your priorities in place, then the only question to ask yourself is, “Does this or doesn’t this activity support my priority?”

Top Two Priorities, One Month Commitment

Here is an easy, three-step process for taking time out of time management:

1. Get clear on what your two A-1 top priorities are for the month; write them down on a piece of paper, then draw a line beneath. 
2. Relegate everything else to below the line, and work on or complete them after you done what you’ve needed to do each day on you’re A-1 list.
3. When something else comes up that begs to be added to the list, ask yourself, Does this or doesn’t this activity support my A-1 priorities? If yes, do them. If no, do them after.

It takes courage to set priorities and stick with them. That’s why it’s important to keep others informed about you’re A-1 priorities. This way, you will have eliminated the need to do things you don’t want to do and won’t have to explain to others why. If you are in a leadership position, sit down with those who report to you and work with them to determine their A-1 priorities for the month so they are in alignment with the business.

Taking time out of time management can be quite a liberating experience. What are some success tools that you’ve used to tame the time management beast? What’s worked for you?

From Chapter 10 of Discovering Your Inner Samurai.

Fireside Chat with Wayne Turmel

Why do many webinars suck? Is the middle manager's job getting better or worse? Chat with Wayne Turmel

During this 32 minute podcast, I chat with Cranky Middle Manager podcast host Wayne Turmel. This is a lively discussion about middle management and another topic near and dear to Wayne's heart, tips and techniques for presenting web meetings. Find out why Wayne blames the Stock Market for many middle management woes and what it was like to be the opening act for the band, Chicago. I use to play 25 or 6 to 4 on my trombone, but that is a story for another day. Wayne's Cranky Middle Manager website can be found here and his new website called Great Web Meetings can be found here. I have been a guest on the Cranky Middle Manager show several times and I had a blast turning the tables on Wayne and asking HIM the questions. Check it out!

You can listen to my podcast with the Wayne Turmel by clicking here:

You can also download an MP3 version of the podcast here: MP3 Download

And just a reminder.....

Here is the Podcast Feed for the entire Fireside Chat podcast series:

To see the complete list of podcasts in this series, select the Podcasts and Webcasts category on this blog or see the list on my main website here.

You can also find this series on iTunes (and several other podcast sites), just search under my last name for Fireside Chat.

Shake the Winter Boredom Blues

I like this post from Zen Habits called, 6 Effective Ways to Combat Boredom. Check it out.

Why does boredom occur? Why do some people get bored more quickly/often than others doing the same work? Is boredom real?

Boredom is not real in the sense that we create it and can eviscerate it with a blink of the eye. It is real in the sense we create it and can eviscerate it with a blink of the eye. Confused?

Like joy, love, and calm, boredom gets generate when our notions about which tasks are interesting and which are not meet up with daily routines. You could, if you chose to, love doing the same tasks for 50 years. You could also choose to get bored the second time you do anything.

Boredom is a state of mind wrapped up in your definition of success and contribution. If you are feeling bored with your job, ask yourself how you are defining success and it there might be an alternative definition that would change how you saw the situation for the better.

Like many things, boredom is all in our heads.

Mom's Book

This post has nothing to do with management and leadership. Well, maybe leadership - my mother's.

I want to let you know about my mother's memoir. When she died of a stroke in April 2006, her memoir was 90% finished. Her dream was to have the book published and to donate all the proceeds to Habitat for Humanity. Her book, called Place Settings in Time, is about the changing roles of women as seen through how they set their dining tables. And it tells this story through her eyes and what she saw her mother, sisters, and daughters do (and how she defined herself by how she set her table).

My family asked me to edit and complete my mother's book and prepare it for publication. I finally was able to do this over the holiday break. It's done, and I think my mother would be thrilled with it.

Although this is her memoir, it offers lots of interesting historical tidbits. If you have a mother, aunt, or even grandmother who lived through the last World War or has been witness to the huge changes in family dining since the 1930s, they will enjoy reading this short book.

100% of the royalties will go to Habitat for Humanity of Lee County, Florida, which is where she spent the last 40 years of her life (we moved there in 1969 and I basically grew up there). When you order the book directly through Lulu, the proceeds come to about $8.50 per book going to Habitat for Humanity.

We would like to get to the point that we can say that my mother's book built a house! If you know anyone who might enjoy the book, please pick one up here.

Thanks for your patience as I use this blog space for something slightly off-topic and entirely personal. More management posts are in the works....

The Power of Words

If you live in the U.S., and perhaps if you don't, you will likely hear Dr. Martin Luther Jr.'s now famous, "I have a dream," speech today on the news as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

I am reminded by the power of conviction as expressed through speech.

The power can catalyze many consequences - it can create change and it can anger some. It takes courage to step into this space.

It is disappointing to me that we are not hearing powerful words from any of the presidential candidates. I want a leader who is not so worried about saying the tiniest thing wrong - I would like to see a leader with real vision and real conviction, and the capacity to catalyze a movement.

And then I think about our meetings rooms in Corporate America. We could use more powerful words there, too. Perhaps some of you work for an organization that is driven by a deep and moving vision, but I know few such organizations. Have you shared your vision lately?

Biodiesel and Kindle Juxtaposition

Just a couple quick follow-ups.

First, I was flying this past weekend, reading Louis L'Amour on my Kindle. The juxtaposition of that - a modern gadget and a classic western struck me as amusing.

Oh, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the preview feature on Kindle. I have been much more adventurous in my selection of books because I can read the first chapter or two for free.

On another follow-up from a previous post, I finished my first tankful of biodiesel. I replaced 13.3 gallons and had gone 447 miles, for a MPG of 33.6. That's not great for a diesel, but I was in a lot of rush hour traffic during this tank. But since it was 100% (actually 99.9%) biodiesel, I feel better.

From a cost perspective, here's a comparison to the average gas car that gets 25MPG. Biodiesel is more expensive, $3.85, or about 11 cents per mile. At $3.00 for regular gas, that's a cost of 12 cents per gallon. So my biodiesel cost per mile is about the same, but I am doing a greener thing for the planet. Sweet.

Fireside Chat with Bill Strickland

Would you like to make the impossible possible? Chat with Bill Strickland

During this 20 minute podcast, I chat with Bill Strickland, President and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation and author of Make the Impossible Possible. This is one of those podcasts that I hope you share with your friends and coworkers. Bill has an amazing "vibe" and he is a role model for manifesting vision. I love his book, Making the Impossible Possible - it is a captivating read and full of gripping details that will surely inspire you and get your brain cells and heart halves buzzing.

You can listen to my podcast with the Bill Strickland by clicking here:

You can also download an MP3 version of the podcast here: MP3 Download

And just a reminder.....

Here is the Podcast Feed for the entire Fireside Chat podcast series:

To see the complete list of podcasts in this series, select the Podcasts and Webcasts category on this blog or see the list on my main website here.

You can also find this series on iTunes (and several other podcast sites), just search under my last name for Fireside Chat.

Likeability

The primaries are all abuzz about how the importance of likeability is having an affect on who people vote for on the democratic side - Obama or Clinton. And to some degree, likeability is mentioned as a reason Huckabee is doing as well as he is on the republican side.

But last night, probably the most intelligent democratic candidate dropped out of the race - Bill Richardson. And many pundits agree that he was unable to make an impression against the charming trio of Obama, Clinton, and Edwards. His style was just not charming enough. Not big enough. Too reserved.

We HR types know that likeability trumps a lot of other traits in the hiring process. And we know that whether a manager is likeable is critical to his or her success at creating a positive team environment.

For managers, likeability and charm are no longer "nice to have" traits. They are honest-to-goodness job skill requirements.

In case you are wondering, here's what I mean by charm:

I think people are charming when they share of themselves and create a personal (still professional) connection. And it is not just extroverts that are charming (and not all extroverts ARE charming). We are charming when we come across as genuine and we let our idiosyncrasies show a we bit.

If you are like Bill Richardson - a highly intelligent and qualified individual who has failed to connect to the people you are seeking influence, you might work on your likeability and charm. Tim Sanders wrote a good book on the topic called, The Likeability Factor.

Vocation Vacation

I like the concept of a vocation vacation a lot. Have you heard about the book, Test Drive Your Dream Job by Brian Kurth? Here's an article by Kurth to whet your appetite:

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EIGHT STEPS TO FINDING AND CREATING THE WORK YOU LOVE
By Brian Kurth, author of Test-Drive Your Dream Job

Many of us are still trying to figure out what we want to be when we grow up.  We may have good jobs and nice paychecks, but we are not really happy in our work.  We daydream about the “what if’s” in our life and long for the chance to discover and explore the job of our dreams.  Identifying your dream job and the path that will take you there is both a challenge and an opportunity.  But by following a realistic step-by-step “vocationing” process, you can pursue your interests and passions to the job of your dreams.

    1.    Define Your Dream Job(s)

What are your passions and your interests? What activities give you a sense of purpose and satisfaction? Can you envision yourself in a job that fully engages your heart and your mind? You may still be trying to figure out what you want to be when you grow up.  That’s okay. The “vocationing” process gives you the opportunity to explore, experiment, and discover what your dream job is and how to pursue it.

    2.    Address Your Fears

Financial instability, family disruption, giving up an identity, failing at something new.  These are all fears that may stand in the way of pursuing your dream job. The biggest thing you can do to get past these fears is to meet them head-on. Bring these deepest fears to light and examine them with reason; talk about them; play each one out to its most irrational end. What is the worst thing that could happen?

    3.    Do Your Research

Internal and external research helps you discover who you are and what kind of work meshes with your deepest self. Do your homework and access resources ranging from the Internet to one-on-one contact with people on-the-job to determine if what you think is your dream job, truly is your dream job. 

    4.    Find a Mentor

Inspirational, experienced, realistic, forthcoming and optimistic.  A good mentor is all of these things and eager to help someone else get started.  Recruiting a mentor who is a good match for you requires following a plan of action, asking the right questions, and building a relationship that is mutually satisfying.  Having a mentor is the crux to the vocationing process.  Whether you’re 20-something, 30-something, 40-something, 50-something or even 60-something, you need a mentor!   

    5.    Test Drive Your Dream Job

There’s no better way to learn than by doing. Test-driving your dream job with a mentor provides a hands-on experience that has the potential to change your life. This is the opportunity to learn as much as possible about the job, how you feel about the day-to-day activities, and what it takes to succeed.  Whether your mentorship proves your perceived dream job is indeed your dream job or if it is a reality check illuminating that the job is not the one of your dreams, the mentorship experience gives you the required personal and professional due diligence you need prior to making a career decision.

    6.    Create an Action Plan

Pursuing a dream job is less a leap than a series of incremental steps that move you closer to your goal. What is critical to reaching that goal is making sure the steps you follow are the right ones. An action plan is needed.  If you make a list of all the things you need to learn and do in order to realize your dream job, you will have mapped out a plan for moving ahead.  A knowledgeable action plan provides you with the power to forge ahead.

    7.    Establish Thresholds

The biggest reason we pursue our dream job is to increase our life satisfaction. It is important to understand how much risk, challenge, and uncertainty you can tolerate before the life satisfaction goal becomes blurred by the process.  The vocationing process is as much about what you learn on the journey as the rewards when you reach your destination.

    8.    Think Big, Start Small

You don’t have to quit your nine-to-five job to pursue your dream job. Obligations and concerns may take you down a less-than-direct path.  It may take months, not weeks….years, not months. If you are patient and creative, you can keep your career transition moving forward. The vocationing process will get you from Point A to Point B.

Brian Kurth is the founder of VocationVacations and the author of Test-Drive Your Dream Job.