tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52038966162839862132024-02-18T23:00:25.896-08:00MANAGEREVOLUTIONHow To Become the Boss Everyone Wants To Work For.
Manager: a person who has control or direction of an institution, business, etc., or of a part, division, or phase of it.
Evolution: any process of formation or growth; development.
Revolution: a radical and pervasive change in society and the social structureEvolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-71482288084476225122012-10-14T18:01:00.004-07:002012-10-14T18:13:38.446-07:00Strategic Planning Made Easy: Questions for the Busy Manager<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXxU5HVW3J8ZrjtelUTFmNamxkJD884VWiKe2NdPRCK6TOU9VPpLor18OkVBfrdnqvn6YiCSKuQaI8PUCc7-J0bFFSF809ty8YJhJhdK3O3n0w7We3yCyjO7w7seLGDvK74FFgK0Zag5m/s1600/Where+to.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXxU5HVW3J8ZrjtelUTFmNamxkJD884VWiKe2NdPRCK6TOU9VPpLor18OkVBfrdnqvn6YiCSKuQaI8PUCc7-J0bFFSF809ty8YJhJhdK3O3n0w7We3yCyjO7w7seLGDvK74FFgK0Zag5m/s320/Where+to.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">“I have so many projects to manage and so many people, I
just don’t have time to do any strategic planning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I seem to just keep reacting to various
project issues and I don’t have the time to focus on real leadership.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to sit down with my direct reports and
talk about their goals; I want to draft a strategic plan and discuss it with my
boss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But all I do is try to keep things
from crashing.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">My client, Emma, had been promoted into a new position and
found herself overwhelmed with taking care of immediate projects when she really
needed a little time to take stock and do some planning.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Leaders need to keep their focus on their vision and goals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have a lot on their plate and it’s
difficult to figure out how to take care of everything well, especially when
they are in a new position.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Emma’s case she hadn’t even had time to
figure out what her vision for her department might be as she spent her time
bogged down in the urgencies of the day and corralled into meeting after
meeting.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is not an unusual case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Most leaders, especially mid-level aspiring to senior level, are
challenged with the combination of project and personnel management, and
leadership functions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking the time to
really think about what your vision is, what your priorities are, and drafting
some plans will help smooth the way long-term.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Discussing with your boss your vision and plans will show her that you
are a strategic thinker and planner and will impress her that you have done
some hard thinking about your area.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you are a new leader, a leader in a new position, or just
a leader who wants to refresh their approaches, the following questions can
help you focus on what is important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span>What is
your leadership philosophy?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do you
expect from yourself as a leader?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
should your organization expect from you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Share your expectations of yourself as a leader to your staff, and ask
them to help keep you accountable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Starting
with being clear about yourself will begin to set a foundation of trust and
respect that’s important once you start sharing your vision.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span>What is your vision for what you control?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What should you and your staff focus on?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do you communicate your vision?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Discuss your vision with your boss and then
make sure everyone knows what it is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Communicate it often, in a variety of mediums. (See </span><a href="http://www.managerevolution.blogspot.com/2011/07/got-vision.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Got Vision?</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> for more on developing a vision.)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span>What resources and relationships are in place to
help you reach your vision and major goals?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What do you need to do to get those in place and maintain them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, do you need to send anyone to
training, hire new team members, or focus on building cross-collaboration among
other teams?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do you need to change your
culture to become more open or innovative?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Organizational culture changes begin at the top, and although you are
one of the leaders, you many need help from the CEO or other senior managers in
order to instigate change at this level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, in order to attain your vision and major goals, that may be
necessary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take a good look at your
organization’s culture to see what behaviors are rewarded and reinforced.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span>What are your key priorities?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What will you accomplish in the next 3
months, 6 months, 12 months, 2 years, 5 years to reach your vision and major goals?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is where you can sketch out some plans
that include tasks, tactics and changes that you want to make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Invite your boss into the discussion and add
their suggestions to your plans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
you keep your ultimate vision in mind, creating plans with will be easier
because the goals and tasks are all tied to your vision.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span>How will you measure success?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How will you recognize it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What milestones will you celebrate?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Knowing how you will measure your successes
will assist you when you need to collect and analyze data and make decisions on
the best actions to take to achieve your goals. And of
course, celebrating milestones along the way will keep the momentum going and
morale up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make sure that everyone knows
exactly what those measureable milestones are.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Giving your attention to these questions will turn you into
a visionary leader with strategic planning skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They will help transform you from a
struggling manager into a valuable principal player.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As in Emma’s case, your boss may be so
impressed with your plans that extra resources are provided for you that will
ease your workload. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Strategic planning
isn’t hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take the time to focus on
it.</span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CzZYgSEVDQs" width="420"></iframe>
</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/WPg1TiXx83I" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-22483558884204442302012-09-10T11:21:00.000-07:002012-09-10T15:41:32.123-07:00When the Ugly American Is Your Boss<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYcjSz7wkf-kLt8C1_jaHT-8oAmH_7fMr9CJxVqTgTybp_vlPRZx4lNfprHOwmavxFbI6rqRW8rN_gjbgpt-PaGEoef277vtM3g-KCDQj3MXzoQZ1G5PFsNb5RHifWpJUALX-i79KbkRW/s1600/japan-businessmen_2324238b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYcjSz7wkf-kLt8C1_jaHT-8oAmH_7fMr9CJxVqTgTybp_vlPRZx4lNfprHOwmavxFbI6rqRW8rN_gjbgpt-PaGEoef277vtM3g-KCDQj3MXzoQZ1G5PFsNb5RHifWpJUALX-i79KbkRW/s320/japan-businessmen_2324238b.jpg" width="320" /></a>“He’s acting like a playboy," my Number One said. “That’s what the office staff told me.”</div>
<br />
Hana (names have been changed!) was referring to my boss, the head of our international sales department, during his solo visit to our Tokyo office. His carefree behavior was coming across as a lack of respect not only to our Japanese employees, but to their work.<br />
<br />
And we all felt like our hard work was being jeopardized by his clueless actions. Hana and I were worried about how our company might be coming across not only to our somewhat new Japanese office staff, but to our customers and business partners. Granted, customers probably would not come into contact with our boss, but the press might. Certain magazines loved our products and business model and not infrequently wrote about them.<br />
<br />
“Yesterday he took off during the day to visit the Salt Museum. They’re wondering why he even came. They haven’t seen much of him.”
<br />
<br />
Boss had been promoted to oversee our international department a year before, based on – I assumed – his excellent performance in another area of the company and his excellent relationship with the hiring vice president. Unfortunately, he didn’t know anything about international business. Luckily, his staff (we) knew quite a bit. I had lived in Asia for ten years – six of those years in Japan – and hold an MBA in international management. Hana was native Japanese. Our staff was truly multi-cultural and for the past four years we had painstakingly built the international business, growing exponentially in double digits from year to year. Our growth had drawn the attention of senior management and they had decided to promote someone they knew well into the leadership position for international sales. It had become increasingly obvious to us, his immediate staff, that Boss’s expertise was limited to his knowledge of our company’s products.<br />
<br />
Accompanying him on his first visit to Tokyo, I had observed his cluelessness toward some Japanese customs. Another American living in Japan had even commented to me about his casual style of dress in business meetings, when the rest of us wore business suits. His implication was that Boss didn’t seem to care how he came across and he was coming across a bit disrespectfully. I had been surprised myself about some of his actions and although I cut him a little slack for his first Japan visit, I felt very uncomfortable that I hadn’t seen any changes in his ethnocentric attitudes and behavior since then.<br />
<br />
Despite what you might have pictured in your mind, Boss wasn’t your typical six-foot bumbling Caucasian American. He was ethnically Asian and when he was in Japan, he was often mistaken by other Japanese for one of them. Raised in Kansas City, with a degree in art, Boss, except for a couple guided-tour vacations, had never spent much time overseas and didn’t speak a foreign language. He seemed to view his new position as head of international as something of a lark – an opportunity for him to justify multiple international trips. From my perspective now, I believe he was in over his head and as an immature 40-year-old male, did the only thing he really knew to do when traveling: had a good time.<br />
<br />
I wasn’t sure what to say in response to comments like our Tokyo employees’ or the ex-pat in Japan. How could I defend my boss when I had observed his egotistic behavior myself? Workplace protocol is to <em>never disparage your boss</em>; my parents raised me not to talk poorly about anyone and the nuns had taught me to respect authority. My office advice is always: <em>Don’t say anything about anyone behind their back that you wouldn’t say to their face.</em><br />
<br />
Boss never consulted me or others in our department on protocol or customs. When he saw us altering our dress or behavior a bit while traveling, he voiced somewhat surprised observations which at first made me think that since he was observant, he would get that doing that was simple courtesy and respect for others. But he never picked up on that he might do so himself.<br />
<br />
Looking back I wonder what I could have done differently to help protect the company from what was to come. My staff and I wrote a well-researched report for senior management – at their request - about the pros and cons of a proposed direction of the international business, and we advised taking a different approach. It was disregarded and Boss sided with senior management to invest heavily in a risky Japan-based endeavor – basically replicating our successful US retail strategy in Japan.<br />
<br />
I know that a major part of the reason they chose this direction was that Boss and senior management were too US-centric. Although our report, using two Japan-based expert consultants’ facts and advice, laid out pitfalls of their strategy, senior management was just too internationally ignorant to understand. Boss agreed with them that simply applying our successful US strategy in Japan would work just fine.<br />
<br />
After working with Boss for two years, I ended up leaving the company. By that time I had no respect for Boss and not much for senior management either. After I left they pursued their chosen business strategy in Japan with the result of <em>the first loss ever</em> for the company. After a year of bleeding red they closed up shop in Japan and the international department was dismantled.<br />
<br />
This true story could serve as a typical international business case study in one of my Thunderbird MBA classes. The harm a lack of international experience, cultural sensitivity, and global business acumen can do to an organization is well-documented. Add to that heavy doses of internal corporate politics and US egotism and you have a volatile mix that sets the stage for certain failure.<br />
<br />
Yet this kind of thing still happens even in our current global environment. Senior management can be blinded by their domestic success and think it simple to replicate anywhere. For optimal global success, listen to your internal experts no matter what level they are. Read books on your target countries. Consult some experts, find a cultural coach. Don’t be the ugly American (or your country’s counterpart). Get some international business training!
<br />
<div class="movieclips-player" style="-moz-border-radius: 7px; -webkit-border-radius: 7px; background: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-radius: 7px; margin: 0px; padding: 7px 0px; width: 560px;">
<object data="http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=SZvJ" height="304" style="display: block; overflow: hidden;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560">
<param name="movie" value="http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=SZvJ" />
<param name="wmode" value="transparent" />
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" />
<param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" />
<embed src="http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=SZvJ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="304" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed>
</object>
<br />
<div style="color: #666666; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 11px/11px Helvetica, Arial, Sans-serif; height: 27px; margin: 7px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; width: 560px;">
<a href="http://movieclips.com/SZvJ-gung-ho-movie-japanese-board-meeting/" style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #00aeff; display: inline; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.23em; text-decoration: none;">
Japanese Board Meeting
</a>
<br />
<a href="http://movieclips.com/dSXs-gung-ho-movie-videos/" style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #888888; display: inline; text-decoration: none;">
Gung Ho
</a>
— MOVIECLIPS.com
</div>
</div>
<!--0.00214409828186-->
<br />
<div class="movieclips-player" style="-moz-border-radius: 7px; -webkit-border-radius: 7px; background: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-radius: 7px; margin: 0px; padding: 7px 0px; width: 560px;">
<object data="http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=9CmT" height="304" style="display: block; overflow: hidden;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560">
<param name="movie" value="http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=9CmT" />
<param name="wmode" value="transparent" />
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" />
<param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" />
<embed src="http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=9CmT" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="304" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed>
</object>
<br />
<div style="color: #666666; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 11px/11px Helvetica, Arial, Sans-serif; height: 27px; margin: 7px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; width: 560px;">
<a href="http://movieclips.com/9CmT-cars-2-movie-japanese-bathroom/" style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #00aeff; display: inline; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.23em; text-decoration: none;">
Japanese Bathroom
</a>
<br />
<a href="http://movieclips.com/thJP-cars-2-movie-videos/" style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #888888; display: inline; text-decoration: none;">
Cars 2
</a>
— MOVIECLIPS.com
</div>
</div>
<!--0.00182104110718-->
I love Japanese bathrooms!</div>
Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-60228015786911274122012-08-13T12:28:00.000-07:002012-08-15T10:57:15.484-07:00Ten Tips to Help You Like Your Job Again<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVj-w8jZfgmRU0Nok5QLaH3U21BoH1QZCFLHDib8kb20xE_sYbudbw0ZbY_sdIMzaFoUbXBsE9YC4dAlWcbSFETrVwuZK73B3_8CaHOFz9bQKiWfprkhnn1zxPGBEcx2DJc-n6EzqW4nP/s1600/I+Hate+my+Job+++%252833%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVj-w8jZfgmRU0Nok5QLaH3U21BoH1QZCFLHDib8kb20xE_sYbudbw0ZbY_sdIMzaFoUbXBsE9YC4dAlWcbSFETrVwuZK73B3_8CaHOFz9bQKiWfprkhnn1zxPGBEcx2DJc-n6EzqW4nP/s400/I+Hate+my+Job+++%252833%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you’ve got a boring, frustrating or extremely stressful job you may entertain fantasies of walking out the door for good. </div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
But you know it’s not a good idea to quit your job without having another one confirmed and waiting for you. Even if your boss is a micromanaging dictator, you never are appreciated for the boring work you do, and there are no growth opportunities, having a job in these volatile times is something to cherish.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
However some people’s jobs have extremely negative effects on them and their loved ones. After weighing the mental and physical consequences of remaining in your job, the stress of working may seem worse than the stress of not working. You may want to jump ship without having another boat to board. Before you do, however, try the following tips that will not only help you get a little more enjoyment out of your present situation but will also help ready you for that next opportunity.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
And if you are happy with your job, these tips can only make it better.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
First take a good look at your present work.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
1. <b>Focus on the parts you like</b>. Yes, there are some; even the worst jobs have good parts. Make a list of all the things you like about your job. Look at that list every day and make an effort to do more of those things you enjoy or expose yourself to those situations that you like. For example, do you enjoy working with a particular person? Ask them if they need help on a project, or make a point to take a break with them. Volunteer for more tasks that involve doing the things you like to do. Be sure and tell your boss and colleagues about the tasks you enjoy – let your enthusiasm and interest show. And keep adding to the list as you discover more of what you enjoy. If you can spend more of your workday on things that you like to do, work will naturally be more satisfying.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
2. <b>Avoid, or try new approaches, with the parts you don’t like.</b> No doubt you already know well the tasks and situations that you hate about your job. Maybe they are unavoidable, but if not, it makes sense to try and avoid those people, those meetings, those tasks and situations that cause you the most grief and stress. If they are totally unavoidable, take a look at how you are approaching them. Are there other ways to interact with that office curmudgeon that will elicit a more positive response? Try them out. Are there other ways to get that task done that may not be so distasteful? Observe others’ approaches and consult those you trust about what you might do differently.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
3. <b>Identify some mentors</b>. More than one is better, and they don’t have to be formal “mentors” by any means. But if there are others at work that you respect and would like to spend more time with, certainly make an effort to get to know them better. Find mutual areas of interest, whether work-related or not. Drop in for just five minutes a few times a week to ask how their projects are doing, share your experiences, ask for advice, or see if they will have time to spend lunch with you. Check outside your company for likely mentors too. Take the time to build friendly, professional relationships. If your work team is more hostile than not, or you feel like you are not well-utilized where you currently are, then these folks can be allies and perhaps even conduits of new opportunities for you.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
4. <b>Come up with an idea for a project or task that excites you.</b> Write out a short proposal that outlines what you’ll do, the benefits and results of it, what resources you need, and how long it will take. Tell your boss you have an idea that will provide XX benefits to the team/company and want to get her advice and input on it. It’s crucial that you have some (ideally quantifiable) benefits that you can illustrate, and that you ask for your boss’s input as well. Get them involved and show your excitement. Sure, they can shoot you down, but at least you tried. Find out if there are tweaks you could make, other areas you could focus on or if it is just the timing that makes it non-feasible. Don’t let your boss’s negativity dampen your own enthusiasm.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
5. <b>Get outside your team.</b> Look for areas within your company that make sense for you to cross-train in. Ask to shadow an executive for a day or two. Ask to be involved in a project or committee that involves others from across the company. You’ll be exposed to other types of jobs, departments, and people and maybe you’ll find a spot better suited for you. At the least, you will learn more about another area and that can help broaden your perspective and deepen your experience. Which are never bad things.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
6.<b> Change your physical surroundings.</b> Sometimes, creating a little personal retreat in your cubicle can go a little ways toward making you feel in control as well as making you feel more relaxed at work. Feeling like you have more control and are more relaxed will definitely positively influence your attitude toward work and your life in general. So cover those gray cubicle walls with a tapestry, new posters or photographs. I’ll never forget the Mexican brown-eyed Elvis tapestry draped over someone’s cubicle wall. Add your own personal marks: plants, books, music, cushion, bumper stickers, anything that makes it feel more like a home office than an office office.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Besides your job, take a good look at yourself. Your work may be boring but you don’t have to be. What can you do to spark yourself up a bit?</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKwrT71X8j1uink2spoYLMX32xhwyspAQ_iaqhOA2a3K3f4hfUCLcydrDAzMALWb6UeKMgtadquoegirG1nhct6HV1JnDmN94yRbRE0GRLL-pMx5PxqyQjFx8iAzeXcv5f8-c-Hz8sB3-/s1600/Cycle-of-Job-Hate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKwrT71X8j1uink2spoYLMX32xhwyspAQ_iaqhOA2a3K3f4hfUCLcydrDAzMALWb6UeKMgtadquoegirG1nhct6HV1JnDmN94yRbRE0GRLL-pMx5PxqyQjFx8iAzeXcv5f8-c-Hz8sB3-/s320/Cycle-of-Job-Hate.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
7. <b>Make external changes</b>. First take a look at the easy stuff: your outside. Get a new haircut and invest in some classy new shoes or other accessories. Sharpen up your outer image and have fun while you’re doing it. If you’re female, consider stopping by one of those department store cosmetic counters and have them give you a new professional look. Learn a couple new make-up tips. I still remember the time that I changed my makeup and got comments like ”You look so great today!” People didn’t know what I had done (until I told them) but they certainly could tell there was a positive difference. A fresh change on the outside can temporarily boost your internal confidence and the positive feedback you may get will certainly help too.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
8. <b>Learn something new.</b> Next take a look at your professional skill levels. Could they use some sharpening too? Talk to your boss about where you’d like to get some extra training and see if they agree that it would be beneficial. Ideally, your company will pay for some classes for you that may help you get certified or reconsidered for another position – one that may be more satisfying. Certainly adding certifications and other skills will make you a more desirable professional just about anywhere and lets people know that you aren’t lackadaisical about keeping up your professional development.
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
9. <b>Make internal changes</b>. You’ve also got to take a look at your overall attitude. Do you hate coming to work? Do you find yourself complaining about work every day? Do you often take mental health days? Do you cut corners when you can, come to meetings and work late, keep from interacting whenever you can with others on your team? You may think you are justified in behaving that way because the job itself is awful, and/or the company and your boss are too. But you can’t change them. You can only change yourself. So work on changing your attitude. Besides looking at the list in #1 every day, make a promise to yourself that you are not going to waste your precious mental time on spewing negative energy within and around you. Don’t fool yourself that you keep it to yourself. Your boss and co-workers can tell if you are engaged and interested or not.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
One exercise that can help you pivot that attitude is to set some easy, daily challenges for yourself. Plan them a week at a time and write them out, one each day, in your calendar. These small work-related goals will provide daily personal successes. At least some of them should focus on others. All of them should engage your interest. For example:</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
--Today I am going to send a complimentary email to someone.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
--Today I am going to set a personal record on getting my most hated task done in record time.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
--Today I am going to make Mr. Curmudgeon smile.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
--Today I am going to come up with one new idea.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
--Today I am going to ask my boss what one thing they wish they could delegate.
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
These are your own secret work goals that have nothing to do with the expectations of others at work. No one else needs to know about them. But if you accomplish one small challenge for yourself every day, they will add up and I guarantee that you will feel better about how you are spending your time. And if at least half of your daily successes involve doing positive things for others, then you will see some eventual and unexpected rewards come from that too.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
10. <b>Get involved with outside associations and organizations.</b> Make sure your personal life is rich, and that you are not too exhausted from your job that you neglect it. One of the best ways you can spend your off time is to join your professional association and get involved. When you are a regular volunteer, others get to know you and your work. You make contacts that can lead to new jobs. I do this at my local chapter of the American Society of Training and Development. Other regular volunteers and I have gotten interviews, new jobs, new clients, and more opportunities opening up simply because we are better connected than those who show up for a meeting once in a while. Check to see if your company will pay for your membership but even if they won’t, join on your own. Then find a committee or project to work on, or get on the board. You won’t regret it. You may find yourself receiving some recognition from others in your company if you do.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
No matter what your work situation is (even if you are happy there!), you can expand your career potential by trying out these ten tips. I guarantee that by initiating your own “personal professional improvement campaign” that you will increase your level of enjoyment at work and eventually your career opportunities. Don’t allow yourself to become a victim of the workplace. Take control of your own attitude and actions and watch things change for the better.
<br />
<object height="288" width="512"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/8-dd0lce9ingvsybxl4hcg"></param>
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param>
<embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/8-dd0lce9ingvsybxl4hcg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="288" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object>
<object height="288" width="512"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/e760y3kmnf_rj4osthfdsw/0/30"></param>
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param>
<embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/e760y3kmnf_rj4osthfdsw/0/30" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="288" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object>
<object height="288" width="512"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/YgG_NcyNJT8T9v4uf1O9Pg"></param>
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param>
<embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/YgG_NcyNJT8T9v4uf1O9Pg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="288" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object>
</div>
</div>
Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-29787075896139238032012-07-10T15:42:00.000-07:002012-07-10T23:09:10.624-07:00How To Prevent a Poor Working Relationship<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQxAk2uhxs4xPnrHi40ajn9TsH9wakqG2aiNZG43Iyhes6cRa3D0a-PYeTXmnWZENIxwh670tDH7I0UcbzaQVeFpNESB8jqEc592LL8iJHLLWi-7je_tXrupBzbE_cqTiBLJOPXAG-uqH/s1600/work-colleagues.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwQxAk2uhxs4xPnrHi40ajn9TsH9wakqG2aiNZG43Iyhes6cRa3D0a-PYeTXmnWZENIxwh670tDH7I0UcbzaQVeFpNESB8jqEc592LL8iJHLLWi-7je_tXrupBzbE_cqTiBLJOPXAG-uqH/s320/work-colleagues.jpg" width="320" /></a>We all have jobs that require working with others. Occasionally, we discover that the person we’re supposed to work with is reluctant to work with us. Usually it’s a passive resistance, resulting in information withheld or deadlines overlooked. Once in a while it’s a more overt behavior such as verbal outbursts that let you know the person is definitely not inclined to help you. And once in a great while they can be downright obstructive in a sabotage-like manner.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Why can’t they just cooperate? They may feel threatened by your incredible efficiency, intelligence and position of favor by the powers-that-be. They may fear the changes you bring to the group or organization. Or, perhaps they are just terribly overworked.</div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Whatever the reason, the fact that they are not on the same page with you is frustrating and detrimental to your success. People like this can make work that might otherwise be interesting into something to dread.</div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It’s naïve to assume that everyone you have to work with is happy to help you. The more likely assumption is that they would be happy to help you if they were not already stressed out from ____________(fill in the blank with anything, it doesn’t make much difference what is stressing them). You can help ease some of their stress by clearly laying the groundwork on how to work together.</div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Setting the foundation about how best to work with one another will make the whole process easier. It also goes a long way toward modeling how to work well with others who may have different goals and priorities. If you manage a team, that’s an invaluable behavior to demonstrate to them.</div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Schedule a preliminary meeting with your counterpart to determine the process of working together. Let them know that is exactly what it is: “Meeting to Kick Off a Great Working Relationship”, or if you think that is too corny, just give it a title like “Project Preparation”. Share your agenda: “Define mutual roles, responsibilities, goals and expectations (in regard to the X Project)”.
</div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When you meet, redefine the goal of the conversation clearly and begin with the why. Starting with the why is important. You wouldn’t tell everyone in a room “You must exit quickly right now.” They would look at you with a question in their eyes but wouldn’t budge. But if gave them the reason first: “There is a fire in the building next door. You must exit quickly right now”, then you wouldn’t encounter much resistance at all.
</div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The same rationale should be used with every action you want someone to take. To avoid initial resistance, start with the reason. You might say something like: “I want to prevent potential overlap in our roles and responsibilities. I believe that clearly defining our respective responsibilities and expectations of each other will go a long way to avoid any future misunderstandings and will make working together much easier and more productive right from the start. “I’d like to hear what your responsibilities are (regarding this project) first, and then I’ll share."</div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Besides responsibilities, make sure to cover roles, goals and priorities. And don’t forget expectations.
“I also want to share with you my expectations of myself and hear what yours are.”
</div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
What are your expectations of yourself in regard to your roles? What do others expect of you and what do you expect of others?
For example, if you are speaking with a manager of another department at your same level with whom you need to work on projects, you might say, “My expectations of myself are that I deliver my part on time and communicate with you weekly about the status of the project. If I let you down on this, please remind me. My expectation of you is that you will be upfront and clear about what you need from me and let me know if I am falling behind your expectations in any way. Will you do that? And I’ll do the same for you.”</div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
By stating your expectations in this regard, you establish yourself as an upfront and open communicator and that is what you also expect from them. Later on when you have to call them on a missed deadline, you’ll approach them with a positive attitude, giving them the benefit of the doubt. They will not be surprised or affronted. You expect them to do the same with you. It is all with the ultimate goal of producing a stellar project together.
</div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Knowing and understanding the other’s behavior style will go a long way toward establishing trust and respect. If they prefer a primarily people-oriented style, they will love the fact that you want to better the relationship and will not feel that it will be a good one unless you have a little bit of personal conversation as well. Start off the meeting by asking about their weekend or family, or by complimenting them. Share a little about yourself. It only takes a couple minutes to establish that personal connection.</div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If their style is task-first, keep the personal chit-chat to zero unless they open it up. Keep the conversation entirely about the issues at hand, define the results you want from the meeting and wrap up the meeting stating what results were achieved. If they are more analytical than directive, assure them that the information they provided was exactly what you wanted. They will be impressed with your efficiency and preparation.</div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Instead of plunging in full speed ahead with your projects take the time to establish guidelines for a working relationship. Remember to cover these areas right from the start:</div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
1. Roles and responsibilities</div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
2. Goals</div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
3. Priorities</div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
4. Expectations</div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As Stephen Covey says, “With people, slow is fast and fast is slow.” Your work will go faster and more smoothly if you take the time to lay a solid foundation with your colleagues.
</div>
<div class="separator" dir="ltr" style="clear: both; text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MN7j-LCgaiE" width="420"></iframe></div>
<object height="288" width="512"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/5vB1eM3n9hjpGg6EdEDMCw"></param>
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param>
<embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/5vB1eM3n9hjpGg6EdEDMCw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="288" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object><br />
If this Warehouse 13 video isn't showing up, check it out at <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/258211">http://www.hulu.com/watch/258211</a></div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-50919859570129551972012-06-12T14:37:00.000-07:002012-06-12T14:37:16.380-07:00Do You Have A Kitchen Cabinet?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvAssfDTpbVga7M18_loltBFc7I9t3BmHHhLD4mWZgyVe2tr3w70_NCFdMochxIIKvIGHWgJbZTkN7fgQE0czaztAWF1suOOOvA8ZVaYum0BijIjTKdSgNPPh6UH1mURLCGJVTO-txry6/s1600/Kitchen+Cabinet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizvAssfDTpbVga7M18_loltBFc7I9t3BmHHhLD4mWZgyVe2tr3w70_NCFdMochxIIKvIGHWgJbZTkN7fgQE0czaztAWF1suOOOvA8ZVaYum0BijIjTKdSgNPPh6UH1mURLCGJVTO-txry6/s1600/Kitchen+Cabinet.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Kitchen cabinet” is the term used to describe an unofficial
group of presidential advisers. First
used commonly during the U.S. presidency of Andrew Jackson, the phrase pops up
periodically since making use of the knowledge and wisdom of one’s friends in
strategic places is a common and expected leadership practice.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
President Obama developed a business-specific ‘kitchen
cabinet’ to address jobs creation. He
consults with GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt, AOL co-founder Steve Case, and Intel CEO
Paul Otellini, among others. Ronald Reagan’s
‘kitchen cabinet’ was a group of about a dozen conservative, wealthy Los
Angeles businessmen who first became his advisers as he sought to become
governor of California, and later, president.
George W. Bush was criticized for having a ‘kitchen cabinet of one’: Dick Cheney.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As a leader and a professional, it makes sense to have a variety
of trusted colleagues with different areas of expertise that we can consult
from time to time that will help us make better decisions and increase our
chances of success. But too often, we
get locked into talking with the same people we see day after day: our own teams, whether they are leadership
teams or project teams or our employees.
We probably also have regular blogs or news
sources that we rely on to inform us of new trends or developments in our
industries.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But that doesn’t take the place of conversation: Being able to pick up the phone and call a
colleague to pick their brain about what’s working in their company, or what
they might have heard about how something we are considering may work. Finding out if a problem that ywe are having
is something they may have encountered.
Pondering their input regarding a decision or new direction we are
considering. Having a small group of
trusted advisers helps us take into
consideration points of view and information we may not be aware of, enabling better decisions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How can you develop a trusted group of advisors like
this? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As someone who has worked a number of places, I keep in
contact with old bosses and others I’ve worked with. “Never burn your bridges” is a piece of
advice my mother gave me as a teenager and it has proved to be invaluable. I can email or call up colleagues I know well
and who know me well to ask their advice or bounce ideas. It’s a great way to keep in contact as most
people like to be helpful.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another way to develop your own kitchen cabinet is through
professional organizations. Every
profession has at least one association.
If you join it and get involved with it – not just attend meetings once
in a while – you will develop some excellent contacts. Making an effort to develop good
relationships means volunteering your time, contributing your hard work and
knowledge, and making appointments for coffee or lunch once in a while to
connect on a more personal level.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In my own business, I’ve had the opportunity to develop
marketing ideas, hone presentations, and learn new skills from my own version
of a ‘kitchen cabinet’. My advisers are
in a variety of industries and positions.
A few of them have become personal friends but most remain professional
colleagues. I find they are unique
resources and support in many ways, especially when it comes to industry issues
or professional development. Others may
have a better ear to the ground if I am researching or contemplating a local issue.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You probably have friends and family you consult with on
personal matters. Develop the same for
your professional life. Leaders don’t
isolate themselves. But they don’t
consult with just anyone either. Who
makes up your 'kitchen cabinet'?</div>
</div>
<div class="movieclips-player" style="background:#000; margin:0; padding:7px 0; width:560px; -moz-border-radius:7px; -webkit-border-radius:7px; border-radius:7px;">
<object width="560" height="304" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=HYMu" style="display:block; overflow:hidden;">
<param name="movie" value="http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=HYMu" />
<param name="wmode" value="transparent" />
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" />
<param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" />
<embed src="http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=HYMu" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="304" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed>
</object>
<div style="display:block; margin:7px 0 0; padding:0; width:560px; height:27px; text-align:center; font:normal 11px/11px Helvetica, Arial, Sans-serif; color:#666;">
<a href="http://movieclips.com/HYMu-bulworth-movie-no-more-black-leaders/" style="display:inline; font-size:12px; line-height:1.23em; color:#00AEFF; text-decoration:none; background:#000;">
No More Black Leaders
</a>
<br />
<a href="http://movieclips.com/uJMP-bulworth-movie-videos/" style="display:inline; color:#888; text-decoration:none; background:#000;">
Bulworth
</a>
— MOVIECLIPS.com
</div>
</div><!--0.0127248764038-->
Advisors that are different from you can give you new perspectives.
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sj1mTeMw1IU" width="420"></iframe><br />
"Good talent is a mixture of experience and willingness to learn."
</div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-57583655018885436902012-05-09T11:36:00.000-07:002012-05-09T11:36:51.207-07:00Get the Right People on the Bus - Without Crashing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3G-7VDo-65AI6-BgaeXwzPjvwZ4jvjRK8Z77s2ajdS6cC1hske18bU5Pg-hqOY7YHooARawbatj32eoDpjZfmYsKEKjwVd5gazFhv5szJ7rnXZM-FxnDZjaeiKH9OnTb041S0rSmDCwm/s1600/job-interview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3G-7VDo-65AI6-BgaeXwzPjvwZ4jvjRK8Z77s2ajdS6cC1hske18bU5Pg-hqOY7YHooARawbatj32eoDpjZfmYsKEKjwVd5gazFhv5szJ7rnXZM-FxnDZjaeiKH9OnTb041S0rSmDCwm/s320/job-interview.jpg" width="320" /></a>“What was the last book you read?”</div>
<br />
<em>What?!</em> I thought. I was a member of a panel interview and a colleague from another department asked the candidate that question. I was caught off guard by this left-field question, but the interviewee handled it with aplomb. I don’t remember her answer, but I remember wondering that since the last book I had read was a fantasy novel, would I share that or tell them about a weightier tome I had recently finished? And then I thought, if I considered fudging that question, how would we ever know if our candidate did too?
<br />
<br />
Most of all I wondered: Why did my colleague waste our time by asking that question? What does that question have to do with her ability to handle the position we are hiring for? And since it has nothing to do with the job, what will the candidate think of us for asking that question?<br />
<br />
And then I thought, we should have prepared better. And since the new hire would be working directly for me, I blamed myself for not prepping the members of our panel on the questions and information that were most important for us to discuss.<br />
<br />
Luckily that was the only inappropriate question asked at that interview. I’ve learned a lot about interviewing since then, from both sides of the table. And I know that a lot of hiring managers are not well-prepared to conduct interviews.<br />
<br />
I recently heard from a client that was experiencing a panel interview that the interview was delayed fifteen minutes since one of the crucial panel members (a senior manager whose okay was required for the hire) got lost trying to find the conference room. Once there, he was woefully unprepared, not having taken the time to review my client’s resume.
Needless to say, my client was not impressed with the organization and was not surprised by long delays in the hiring process. He decided to look at other opportunities which were available to him.<br />
<br />
Please, hiring managers, present yourself and your organization in a good light by preparing well for the hiring process. Preparing thoroughly will help prevent poor hires too. Those are the people who make managing difficult, who don’t deliver as promised, and who may leave before you’ve reaped your initial investment and now have to go through the hiring process all over again.<br />
<br />
As Jim Collins says, “If you have the right people on the bus, the problem of how to motivate and manage people largely goes away.”
<br />
<br />
And not insignificantly, hiring mistakes are costly; I’ve seen estimates from twice to <em>fifteen </em>times the person’s salary. Calculate the cost of a hiring error in your organization with this <a href="http://www.objectivemanagement.com/hiring-mistake-calculator.asp" target="_blank">"Sales Hiring Mistake Calculator"</a>
.<br />
<br />
These are common hiring pitfalls that not only present a poor impression to your candidates but will increase the odds of a making a bad hire:<br />
<br />
1. <strong>Not knowing clearly what you want or need.</strong> What are the results you expect from someone in this position? Based on the results you want, what are the competencies and attributes that you require? Think through the scope of the position thoroughly. If some skills and attributes are more important than others, be prepared to prioritize your interview questions and weigh them differently. Don’t change your requirements in mid-hiring; as in any project changes are costly and cause delays. Of course things in your organization change constantly, but don’t try to hire someone for every eventuality. Know what you need most and prepare your interview questions around those requirements.
<br />
<br />
2. <strong>Asking interview questions that don’t pertain to the job description.</strong> Ask questions that help you determine if the candidate has the experience, knowledge, attributes, and skills necessary for the job. All other questions are a waste of time. A Kansas State University study determined that behavioral-based questions are five times more accurate than a more traditional interviewing style for choosing the right candidates. Those are the questions that insist on the candidate drawing from past experience to tell a story and usually start with “Tell me about a time when…” or “Describe a situation in which you…”<br />
<br />
3. <strong>Not preparing adequately for the interview.</strong> Did you study the candidate’s resume and prepare some questions specifically for them? Do you have insightful behavior-based questions all ready with follow-up questions to help you probe in more depth? Do you have your business cards with you? Do you have paper for taking lots of notes? Do you know how to answer the questions that the candidate will ask you? Have you made arrangements not to be interrupted? Do you know where the interview room is?<br />
<br />
4. <strong>Falling into the trap of hiring people just like you.</strong> It’s natural to feel most comfortable with people who look like us, talk like us, and act like us. Be aware of your behavior style and be on the lookout for your unconscious discriminations to play out. We all have them and you are not exempt. But if you are aware of them, you can re-focus yourself on their suitability for the job, and not whether they are too young or too old, too thin or too heavy, too fast- or too slow-talking, or whatever. Be careful of your “gut feelings” as research shows hiring based on that and first impressions can have a 50% failure rate. Use the data and analyze your candidates - many interviewers create a “scorecard” using the positions’ competencies.
<br />
<br />
5. <strong>No follow-up</strong>. No doubt at the end of the interview you told the candidate what the next steps are in the process, and gave them a timeframe. I’ve never known anyone to keep to the timeframe, however it is just good manners to let the candidate know what is happening and where they fall in the process, <em>especially </em>if there is a delay. It’s fine to delegate this to other personnel, but please do let them know in a timely manner. How one is treated during the hiring process is an indication to the potential employee of how the company treats it’s employees in general.<br />
<br />
When constructing interview questions, be wary of treading in the danger field of not only inappropriateness, but illegalities. In addition to the opening question in this blog post, here are some more examples of inappropriate interview questions:<br />
<br />
What kind of activities do you do in your spare time?<br />
How would your family feel about relocating?
<br />
How are you involved in the community?<br />
You have an unusual last name. Is it Polish?<br />
What year did you graduate from college?
<br />
You mentioned you are pregnant. How much time are you planning to take off after the delivery?<br />
If you were an animal, which one would you be and why? <em>(Really?)</em><br />
<br />
Remember, all questions must be job-related and relevant to the goals and responsibilities of the position. In the United States, according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (<a href="http://www.eeoc.gov/" target="_blank">http://www.eeoc.gov</a>) “it is illegal to discriminate against someone (applicant or employee) because of that person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.” So interview questions and job postings must be screened so that there is no indication that there could be a legal violation.<br />
<br />
Since I do quite a bit of career coaching, I coach my job-seekers on how to be prepared for poor interviewers. There are certainly a lot of them out there. It makes sense to treat hiring just like any other project you manage. Be methodical and plan well. If you are haphazard in your hiring, it shows poor project management skills. And unfortunately, like any project poorly managed, you will pay for it.<br />
<br />
So what’s the last book <em>you </em>read? If you are planning on doing some hiring soon, I recommend it be <em>Hire With Your Head: Using Performance-Based Hiring to Build Great Teams</em> by Lou Adler. As the author states: “There is nothing more important - to your personal and company success - than hiring great people.”
<br />
<div class="movieclips-player" style="-moz-border-radius: 7px; -webkit-border-radius: 7px; background: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-radius: 7px; margin: 0px; padding: 7px 0px; width: 560px;">
<object data="http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=Awo5D" height="304" style="display: block; overflow: hidden;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560">
<param name="movie" value="http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=Awo5D" />
<param name="wmode" value="transparent" />
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" />
<param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" />
<embed src="http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=Awo5D" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="304" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed>
</object>
<br />
<div style="color: #666666; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 11px/11px Helvetica, Arial, Sans-serif; height: 27px; margin: 7px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; width: 560px;">
<a href="http://movieclips.com/Awo5D-the-devil-wears-prada-movie-andys-interview/" style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #00aeff; display: inline; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.23em; text-decoration: none;">
Andy's Interview
</a>
<br />
<a href="http://movieclips.com/3VZz4-the-devil-wears-prada-movie-videos/" style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: #888888; display: inline; text-decoration: none;">
The Devil Wears Prada
</a>
— MOVIECLIPS.com
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
<object data="http://movieclips.com/e/eyacX/96.41/124.52" height="100%" style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0); display: block; overflow: hidden;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://movieclips.com/e/eyacX/96.41/124.52" />
<param name=FlashVars VALUE="autoPlay=false">
<param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" />
<param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" />
<param name="wmode" value="transparent" />
<param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" />
<embed src="http://movieclips.com/e/eyacX/96.41/124.52" FlashVars="autoPlay=false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" movie="http://movieclips.com/e/eyacX/96.41/124.52" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" ></embed> </object> <br />
<div style="-moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 4px; -moz-border-radius-bottomright: 4px; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; background: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; height: 27px; line-height: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 1px 0px 0px; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://movieclips.com/eyacX-the-pursuit-of-happyness-movie-first-impression/" style="color: #00aeff; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">First Impression</a><br />
<a href="http://movieclips.com/sxhWE-the-pursuit-of-happyness-movie-videos/" style="color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">The Pursuit of Happyness</a> <a href="http://movieclips.com/" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">at MOVIECLIPS.com</a></div>
</div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-56837560800608110492012-04-10T20:17:00.000-07:002012-04-10T20:17:33.745-07:00Create a Best in Class Company with These Benchmarks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lR3ULctfwg7ljSYXq3VMXEhNPdFgbCM9sRbqNpPMV5bPYH7YOQcUnEV_OoRlHVQmDOYJ5C5a_M2tS1kCijRngn3nMQYbZbQ2a2sBLvtWvSlFZdFkEmW-BVUoFQ5WNiKvz8ONoaFZBOiH/s1600/line+graph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lR3ULctfwg7ljSYXq3VMXEhNPdFgbCM9sRbqNpPMV5bPYH7YOQcUnEV_OoRlHVQmDOYJ5C5a_M2tS1kCijRngn3nMQYbZbQ2a2sBLvtWvSlFZdFkEmW-BVUoFQ5WNiKvz8ONoaFZBOiH/s1600/line+graph.jpg" /></a>What does it take to become a top performing company in a given industry? Maximizing individual employee performance would seem to be obvious. Yet in case after case it seems that leaders tend to overlook substantiated evidence on what actions to take that will yield the best from their employees. </div><br />
Employee engagement ranks as having the highest impact on employee performance – in one study organizations with engaged employees were found to be up to 43% more productive. <br />
<br />
Yet another study on employee engagement has been published and this one has come up with some benchmarking metrics that can be used across industries. Maybe this will be the one that will convince any holdouts of the benefits of investing in employee engagement strategies. <br />
<br />
A July 2011 study from the Aberdeen Group surveyed and interviewed leaders from 248 diverse organizations on their employee performance and engagement practices. They were able to isolate key metrics that separate the top performing companies – the “best in class” – from the average and bottom rung – the “laggard” companies. Here are a few of those metrics; see how your company measures up:<br />
<br />
Percentage of employees who rated themselves as “highly engaged”:<br />
<br />
Best in class companies: 62% Average companies: 35% Laggard companies: 13%<br />
<br />
Percentage of employees who received “exceeds expectations” on latest performance reviews: <br />
<br />
Best in class: 71% Average: 20% Laggard: 13%<br />
<br />
Degree of improvement in employee retention over the previous year:<br />
<br />
Best in class: 11% Average: 2% Laggard: 7% worse<br />
<br />
Those are benchmarking metrics to strive for. The Aberdeen study also offers specific actions to take to help reach those goals. <br />
<br />
An engaged employee is first of all, in the right position. The Aberdeen study doesn’t mention this vital fact, but if an employee’s strengths and interests are not being utilized, they will not experience success and logically won’t feel very engaged. Managers need to know how to hire well, and to assign roles and responsibilities commensurate with an employee’s strengths and limitations. Or if necessary, move them to a role or team (or as a last resort, out the door) where they can experience success.<br />
<br />
Assuming the individual is in the right role, “engaging” them will yield the highest performance results. Aberdeen reports that the following should be in place:<br />
<br />
1. A culture of alignment and ongoing communication. <br />
2. Tools and practices that provide visibility and transparency into individual and organizational goals and progress.<br />
3. Full accountability among individuals and managers for business results.<br />
<br />
Highly engaged employees need to know and understand exactly how their individual and team goals are aligned with the strategic plan of the company. Employees are crystal clear about their own performance expectations and can gauge how they are doing by looking at key performance metrics that are easily accessible. They are not overlooked by their managers, but given feedback and recognition on an ongoing basis. If they are high performers, they know it, and everyone else does too. They receive the recognition and corresponding development opportunities. If they are mediocre performers, they know exactly what they need to do to raise their performance.<br />
<br />
It all seems pretty clear cut, doesn’t it? However, as we know, the ability to communicate well with direct reports – defining expectations, giving feedback, coaching, reiterating core values and strategic plans, etc.– does not come naturally to every manager. Tools such as wizards that aid in filling out reviews and appraisal forms, and in creating individual development plans can be provided. Training and coaching in communications and leadership skills should be required and reinforced for every leader. There are many methods and tools to provide assistance for leaders to help create an engaged workforce.<br />
<br />
But the crucial sticking point is that senior leadership needs to be on board. In best-in-class organizations, 74% of senior leaders bought in and supported efforts aimed at increasing employee performance and 70% supported efforts at increasing employee engagement. Laggard companies were at 58% and 28%, respectively. That implies that it is still a struggle for many human resource leaders to establish the foundation to implement what is necessary to bring an organization to the top of their industry.<br />
<br />
It seems obvious that performance improves when an employee feels totally engaged in their work. Now we have some metrics to strive for and proven actions that support what it takes to engage an employee. Numbers can make a good case when HR buzzwords (like “employee engagement”) don’t. <br />
<br />
<div class="movieclips-player" style="-moz-border-radius: 7px; -webkit-border-radius: 7px; background: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-radius: 7px; margin: 0px; padding: 7px 0px; width: 560px;"><object data="http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=2pyJo" height="304" style="display: block; overflow: hidden;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560"> <param name="movie" value="http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=2pyJo" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://static.movieclips.com/embedplayer.swf?shortid=2pyJo" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="304" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed> </object><br />
<div style="color: #666666; display: block; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 11px/11px Helvetica, Arial, Sans-serif; height: 14px; margin: 7px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; width: 540px;"></div></div><br />
This fellow is definitely not engaged at work.</div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-40296371996611417162012-03-08T11:54:00.000-08:002012-03-08T11:54:29.965-08:00The Impact of Leaders Listening - or Not<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc932gnfDk4sRSCe8kNAP0kzDI7lZ0RnpnKtMbhoOFWDsZgG_APqYWwJPq6wuDL71HObPibjvIOJbMEW0pGQ12OkaEGZwcDkcTTo9htveat8bri_F1akoWPP2LiG4Esw4AcI2NCkbzP3hg/s1600/listening1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc932gnfDk4sRSCe8kNAP0kzDI7lZ0RnpnKtMbhoOFWDsZgG_APqYWwJPq6wuDL71HObPibjvIOJbMEW0pGQ12OkaEGZwcDkcTTo9htveat8bri_F1akoWPP2LiG4Esw4AcI2NCkbzP3hg/s320/listening1.jpg" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>My last post created some discussion on a LinkedIn group about what actually was the most overlooked leadership skill. Some said strategic thinking, some said project thinking, and some swerved over into the realm of qualities and mentioned humility and integrity. But the most often cited skill that was extremely important but often lacking was <em>listening.</em><br />
<br />
When I think back on bosses I’ve had, I can think of only one who was an exceptional listener. He would listen so intently to what you had to say that some people were a little uncomfortable with the quiet space he left after they finished speaking. People are used to others jumping in right after (or even before) they’ve finished talking so having even five seconds of silence while he waited to make sure you were finished speaking was unnerving for some. Like most people though, I appreciated it, and felt that I had his full attention and what I had to say was important to him.<br />
<br />
What’s the impact when leaders don’t listen? I have some personal examples, as I am sure you do, too:<br />
<br />
A quite common occurrence is the boss I had who would continue to do email while I spoke with him, even if it was a scheduled meeting. I’d usually ask “Is this still a good time?” and he would always say “Yes, yes, go on”. Of course, I never really felt like he was listening to me, but I would try to take advantage of that one-to-one time as best I could.<br />
<br />
Another experience quite vivid in my memory was when, after delivering a workshop where I had received the same piece of feedback about it for the third time, I decided to convey that to the person who had created the workshop and had the most experience in it – the President of our company. My intent was just to share the comment and see if he had heard it before. It was a neutral piece of feedback, neither a criticism nor a rave, but I thought it was interesting that three separate people had brought it up. <br />
<br />
His immediate response to me was “You should tell them that…..” and proceeded to tell me how I should handle it when I received such feedback. I felt diminished by his reaction because it seemed that he didn’t have the faith in me to know how to properly respond. I had thought we would have a bit of an interesting conversation about the whole thing and share other comments and feedback we’d received. Instead, his responses reduced me from senior consultant and colleague to novice facilitator and I just clammed up. <br />
<br />
I wasn’t sure if he really felt that I didn’t know how to handle such circumstances (which was depressing to think) or if he was just not listening very well since he had a lot going on (as most people, especially leaders do) and so gave me the immediate response that came to his mind. In any case, the result was that I didn’t feel drawn to be quite so open about workshop experiences with him again, which was too bad because that meant that both of us missed enrichment opportunities, which naturally extended to our workshop participants missing out too. All unknowingly, of course. <br />
<br />
These examples show the impact on just one person – or in the case of workshop participants, a small number of people. But sometimes the impact of poor listening is detrimental to the entire organization and perhaps their shareholders too.<br />
<br />
In one company I worked the executive leadership team ignored the advice of two outside consultants and an internal team convened to specifically research opening a store overseas. The C-suite decided to overrule recommendations to begin with a small store in a specific urban neighborhood and instead went all out to build a multi-million dollar free-standing retail complex in an out-of-the-way location outside the city. In less than a year, the store failed miserably, was closed, and the company experienced it’s first losses ever. The leadership team never seriously listened to the team members or consultants, being driven by their own egos: a common mistake in listening.<br />
<br />
This may be a good illustration of why humility was also cited as one of the most overlooked qualities of a good leader.<br />
<br />
The reaction that sharers most often receive from their listeners is “let me help you fix it”. It’s the customer service representative reaction! Leaders are not customer service reps. They don’t and shouldn’t jump in to fix things. That leads to dependent folks who aren’t confident in their own abilities. Are those the kinds of employees you want?<br />
<br />
Instead of jumping in eagerly to help, the listener should pause and really listen to what the other person is saying. Are they explaining a situation? Are they venting? Are they reporting important information? Are they just making conversation? <em>Did they ask for help???</em> If you don’t know, ask them. <br />
<br />
The very act of listening attentively is so rare that the person on the receiving end will feel important and recognized. What a simple and effective way to appreciate someone!<br />
<br />
Now listening is not just a leadership skill, but a great skill for everyone to develop. <br />
<br />
Leaders, (and Moms, Dads, spouses, friends…) don’t quash their sharing. Don’t diminish their power. Take the time to listen. Before saying anything else, ask a question. Ask questions that help you understand them and their situation better, and questions that help them understand themselves and their situation better. Whenever you do that, you will be increasing their personal power and helping them grow stronger, more confident, and more knowledgeable. And that’s what a great leader does.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/b0ImCfF6h2E" width="420"></iframe><br />
Sometimes it's so hard to stay quiet!</div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TQzduf9GH8M" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
But staying quiet can reap unexpected rewards!</div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-81615450050716937062012-02-09T17:05:00.001-08:002012-03-08T11:43:24.222-08:00The Most Overlooked Leadership Skill-?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeaMT8kD96MuP8aVLW-oHNB3tO98vBnIOShewUokd3jRb_e2Jbp45aFmzilsvc5haM5E7R4Xi7pyV_-9cLaIx-LiCJUH_vsyLf0Qq2Iv4QGg0qfSH9-JSLjpKACkn7NruiTh49xMCr63M/s1600/meeting-room.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeaMT8kD96MuP8aVLW-oHNB3tO98vBnIOShewUokd3jRb_e2Jbp45aFmzilsvc5haM5E7R4Xi7pyV_-9cLaIx-LiCJUH_vsyLf0Qq2Iv4QGg0qfSH9-JSLjpKACkn7NruiTh49xMCr63M/s320/meeting-room.gif" width="320" /></a>One leadership skill that always seems to be overlooked is leading meetings. How many meetings have you been to where one or two people were allowed to dominate the conversation, or where the topics seemed to drag on and on without resolution? How many meetings have you been to where you felt that your time could have been better spent somewhere else, doing something else?<br />
<br />
Facilitating meetings well is a skill that is rarely taught, and difficult to do by oneself. Good meetings are the result of all the participants understanding the purpose and the process for the meeting. Everyone knows how the meeting should be conducted and takes the initiative to conduct themselves accordingly.<br />
<br />
The foundation of effective meetings is having a set of ground rules that are agreed upon by all the participants.<br />
<br />
Ground rules are essentially codes of conduct that participants agree will help keep the meeting civil, effective and efficient. Although most people assume that everyone knows how to do this without going the extra step to spell out the rules, that’s just not so.<br />
<br />
Let’s start with one simple ground rule as an example: when the meeting starts. When I worked at Wizards of the Coast, we had what was referred to as “WotC time”. Meetings didn’t start until ten after the hour. No one even arrived in the room until about then, so sometimes meetings didn’t start until quarter after. I was informed of WotC time as soon as I started working there. So, although someone would set a meeting for 10am, everyone knew it would begin at 10:10am. Meetings would usually last just 50 minutes, giving attendees enough time to prepare for the next meeting if they had one.<br />
<br />
Contrast this practice with Wally time, which was what meeting times were sometimes called at REI, where I worked before Wizards. Named after the then-CEO, Wally Smith, it meant that every meeting started exactly on the hour. It was not unusual for people to arrive up to five minutes early so they wouldn’t be late for the meeting.<br />
<br />
These types of unwritten rules are part of the culture of an organization. But as a leader, you can create your own culture starting with the expectations you set around meetings. In fact, once the CEOs of Wizards of the Coast and REI changed, those meeting start times changed too (along with some other aspects of the organizational culture).<br />
<br />
Take control of the culture you want to foster in your area by taking control of how meetings are held. Put together a list of ground rules you’d like to see in place, bring it to a meeting for discussion, and as a group, decide on the final ground rules that everyone agrees to abide by. Everyone expects some type of code of conduct, and formally establishing one emphasizes that an environment of respect, collaboration, and efficiency are priorities. It gives participants a sense of safety as well, as they know what is expected of them. Ground rules may look something like this:<br />
<br />
1. Meetings will start on time, and participants will be on time.<br />
2. No texting, emailing or phone calls during the meeting.<br />
3. Participants will come prepared to participate.<br />
4. Everyone will be heard; no floor-hogging.<br />
<br />
Of course your group's rules will reflect what you and your team decide are the most important meeting behaviors. It’s best to keep the rules short and simple, and to review them as a group from time to time to see if any changes or additions should be made. It also helps to copy them along with every agenda so they can be a reminder for everyone at each meeting.<br />
<br />
You may want to impose penalties for violating the rules. The first time someone violates the rules it could just be called out to them – keeping people accountable to agreed-upon rules is all important or otherwise no one will take them seriously. For the second offense you could impose a penalty – maybe a contribution to a change jar to be used for cookies for the meeting, or even buying the whole group muffins for the next meeting.<br />
<br />
Once you have some ground rules, you have others to help with the facilitation. For example, if someone starts monopolizing the conversation it shouldn’t only be the meeting leader who calls them out. Anyone should feel comfortable enough to say something like, “Janet, Rule #4. I know you have a lot to say about this, but it’s time to hear from someone else.”<br />
<br />
Meeting facilitation lies somewhere between a skill and an art. An active group with a large agenda can be quite challenging to facilitate. Running meetings smoothly requires more than just a good set of ground rules. Here are a few helpful techniques:<br />
<br />
--At the beginning of the meeting state the purpose of the meeting, even if everyone knows or should know. The purpose should be crystal clear to everyone.<br />
<br />
--Briefly go through all the agenda items to see if there are any changes or corrections to it.<br />
<br />
--Put a few short agenda items at the beginning to get off to a good start.<br />
<br />
--Be alert to participants’ facial expressions and body language: are they engaged, confused? If confused, you may be going too fast. If they are not engaged, you may be going too slow.<br />
<br />
--Draw out quiet ones without putting them on the spot. Before the meeting, make sure everyone knows what agenda items they will be expected to contribute to. If they don’t speak up, ask them. Sometimes that’s all they are waiting for.<br />
<br />
--Evaluate the meeting at the end. Leave a couple minutes to ask “How was the pace of this meeting?” “What do you wish we had done differently in this meeting?” “What went well in this meeting?”<br />
<br />
--Thank everyone for their participation and for honoring the ground rules.<br />
<br />
There are many more excellent techniques for facilitating meetings. Since you know your group better than anyone, you can customize your facilitation methods to foment participation and keep them engaged. And since meeting facilitation is a skill that is best honed by practice, rotating that responsibility among others is a great way to develop your employees. <br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7OrFz1wL_0o?rel=0" width="560"></iframe><br />
Violating the ground rules gets you kicked out of meetings on The Office.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/32WjO7IiHpI?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />
The purpose is stated clearly! Just about everyone seems prepared to give an opinion…and he keeps everyone on task, allowing everyone a chance to speak.<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
</div></div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-69834721860029874742012-01-11T13:31:00.000-08:002012-01-11T13:31:30.205-08:00Are You Investing in Yourself?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I’m back! Happy New Year!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmGnlsFDeMBXHlw3W13KiZRgjh6F4GG0Z9fcdMlzzH9FmiI6bFeGsH80G5wPchwZHfz4QW87NVtnPnyFMEXzPe8azxGEn4GV3OqQKuclYxBx5VQw-uYircyFix-Mg7oIZpmn47qHY7xh0/s1600/Reading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPmGnlsFDeMBXHlw3W13KiZRgjh6F4GG0Z9fcdMlzzH9FmiI6bFeGsH80G5wPchwZHfz4QW87NVtnPnyFMEXzPe8azxGEn4GV3OqQKuclYxBx5VQw-uYircyFix-Mg7oIZpmn47qHY7xh0/s400/Reading.jpg" width="278" /></a>Besides being distracted with the holidays, I have been working about three jobs at once and so the blog, one of my favorite things to do, fell away. I’ve missed it. So one of my New Year’s resolutions is to post at least once a month. The past two years I wrote close to once a week, but as I am doing a lot more writing now, I have to be realistic about how to spend my writing time.<br />
<br />
We all want to make the new year better than the one before. Sometimes, though, it seems like things are out of our control. However one thing we can always control is our own attitude. My number one resolution is to weather all the inevitable bumps and storms in our lives with more grace. We will always have recessions and wars, difficult people to deal with, and bouts with sadness and anger. Handling these expected parts of life with grace, understanding, and good humor is a lifelong pursuit which I plan to put more focus and awareness toward in 2012.<br />
<br />
Although I would love to spread more cheer with my writing, I am not going to change this to a humor blog. I am afraid I can’t become a humor columnist because as a leadership coach and trainer, we are a serious bunch dealing with a serious issue. I mean, look around. Our leaders have led us into quite a few pickles what with the huge government debts, foreign entanglements, and struggling economy.<br />
<br />
I can guarantee you that no leader that I have coached ever contributed to these global problems. And it’s not just because I haven’t coached any high level politicians or military leaders. Well, not the only reason. I have had the good fortune to attract clients who have more than their own egos to develop. Clients who are earnest about professional and personal development, which means that they stay true to their values and priorities, and work to clarify and strengthen them.<br />
<br />
Which leads me to the real topic of this blog: you! I think you should make a resolution to invest in yourself this year. Not just putting away savings, like your financial advisor says. Not just spending some “you time” at the spa or on vacation. All good goals, sure, but I am talking about your personal and professional development.<br />
<br />
The best leaders are continuous learners. I’ve advised “investing in your best” before, and now I want to extend that to investing in you, so you can be one of the best yourself.<br />
<br />
Yesterday I spoke with a client who told me that his organization had identified eight main competencies that everyone needed to have. Every employee rated their own level of expertise on each competency, and then picked two to work on for the year. They didn’t have to be the competencies they were weakest in, they could even be the ones they were strongest in, but they had to pick two that would make up their 2012 development plan. (Interestingly, conflict management was the top pick across the company.)<br />
<br />
I encourage you to do something similar. You might look at the competencies in your profession. Or the competencies required by good leadership. And you may want to take a look at personal areas that you’ve always wanted to improve. Public speaking? Golfing? Parenting? Bridge?<br />
<br />
My suggestion is to pick one from each list: one professional area to develop and one personal area. They may overlap, which is all the better. Once you decide, look up classes, books, blogs, and who is the best in those areas. For this year, resolve to do what you can to get better in those two areas. At the end of the year, I bet you will have had a very productive year.<br />
<br />
So yes, I am going to take control of my attitude more. I want to be able to weather all the ups and downs with more grace, and to experience more joy. That’s my personal goal which I think will definitely spill over into my professional life. I will have to see what webinars are out there for that. There is plenty written about controlling one’s attitude but not so specific about how to weather the storms with grace and still spread joy. Maybe I will have to write something…which leads me to my professional goal:<br />
<br />
Professionally, I am going to concentrate on developing not only my writing skills, but learning more about the process of writing and publishing. Now that I have a writing coach, I have found out that there is so much more to it than just the actual writing part! At the end of the year, I hope to have finished a book.<br />
<br />
Happy New Year to all, and best wishes for a year full of joy-filled growth!<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FgIukJ2XRK8?rel=0" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
</div><br />
</div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-66892996872500571122011-11-23T23:11:00.000-08:002011-11-23T23:11:22.501-08:00Happy Thanksgiving!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWpTBgEqHq2dZr7FU8CtgYg-Xi8Z5US8CFmHPYn4MPK-APhfMiNuvwW7an090af4Rhp2Mn031-6oEEUYOXneKvdDQFdHPy7QBYZ7b7PMDydLU98iCM8CKj5wJ0X68AogQFa2oAPZ6_iYI/s1600/TG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWpTBgEqHq2dZr7FU8CtgYg-Xi8Z5US8CFmHPYn4MPK-APhfMiNuvwW7an090af4Rhp2Mn031-6oEEUYOXneKvdDQFdHPy7QBYZ7b7PMDydLU98iCM8CKj5wJ0X68AogQFa2oAPZ6_iYI/s320/TG.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<i>You have no cause for anything but gratitude and joy.</i> ~ Buddha<br />
<br />
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the United States, one of my favorite holidays. I really enjoy the spirit of the holiday. No gifts are necessary, just cooking and eating delicious food. It’s a day to enjoy some relaxing time with friends and family, and to appreciate all your blessings. <br />
<br />
There seems to be a lot of fear out there in the world right now. Fear that we aren't getting our fair share and that opportunities are slim. Certainly among my own friends and family, many of us have been laid off, are underemployed, or still unemployed. So it's even more important to realize how much we do have, and to enjoy and appreciate it all.<br />
<br />
Here are a few of the work-related things I am grateful for:<br />
<br />
I am thankful for my clients, for without you I have no income and no purpose. (And not much to write about.)<br />
<br />
I am thankful for my blog readers. I know you are out there, even if you are really, really quiet. Without you, I have no one to write to. And I like to write.<br />
<br />
I am thankful for my writing coach. She is supporting my efforts to write a book. So, faithful (or not-so-faithful) blog readers, I will be posting less often as most of my writing time will go toward my book.<br />
<br />
I am thankful for my colleagues. Yes, I work solo out of my home, but I have a network of colleagues through my membership in professional associations, past employers, friends, and LinkedIn. You spark my ideas, support my plans, give me feedback and provide camaraderie. And sometimes, you provide me with some business!<br />
<br />
I am thankful for my past employers, for you gave me tons of experience (both good and bad) which helps me in my current work and also gives me fodder for writing. Some of you also paid me handsomely which is very helpful when times are hard because I have that cushion that I built from back when I had a steady corporate job.<br />
<br />
I am thankful for my equipment and software! What would I do without my computers, printers, scanner, copier, and telephone? Thank you to the inventors, engineers, project managers who created them, and to my boyfriend for providing (most of) them and keeping them up to date! <br />
<br />
For your Thanksgiving enjoyment, here are a few of the gratitude quotations I've collected:<br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><i>I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new</i>. ~<i> </i>Ralph Waldo Emerson</div><br />
<br />
<i>Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: it must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all</i>. ~ William Faulkner <br />
<br />
<i>Let us be grateful to people who make us happy--they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom. </i>~ Marcel Proust <br />
<br />
<i>Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful. ~ </i>Buddha <br />
<br />
<i>Whenever we are appreciative, we are filled with a sense of well-being and swept up by the feeling of joy. </i>~ M.J. Ryan <br />
<br />
<i>To educate yourself for the feeling of gratitude means to take nothing for granted, but to always seek out and value the kind that will stand behind the action. Nothing that is done for you is a matter of course. Everything originates in a will for the good, which is directed at you. Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude</i>. ~ Albert Schweitzer <br />
<br />
Happy Thanksgiving!<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EWSD3dLAdzU" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
The annual presidential turkey-pardoning, a strange American Thanksgiving ritual.<br />
<br />
</div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-1537645386439928812011-11-09T14:22:00.000-08:002011-11-09T14:22:47.229-08:00Is Your Workplace a Learning Environment?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOI-vvtCa8ebvCSKpVUkVI1uhbQFvN4Vne-ll9D3-lGdWa3qWVseKSShTiL1C8MjFnBnQCkLXqXXBDd3UFaQ5Leh66eInIBMhGOqWIGPo1tDeGT8YTMkQn7P_7ykisUdZixnqYZwl8ZgRB/s1600/brainstorm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOI-vvtCa8ebvCSKpVUkVI1uhbQFvN4Vne-ll9D3-lGdWa3qWVseKSShTiL1C8MjFnBnQCkLXqXXBDd3UFaQ5Leh66eInIBMhGOqWIGPo1tDeGT8YTMkQn7P_7ykisUdZixnqYZwl8ZgRB/s320/brainstorm.jpg" width="320" /></a>“<i>Leadership and learning are indispensible of one another.</i>” - John F. Kennedy<br />
<br />
As a leadership coach and workplace learning professional, of course I heartily agree with President Kennedy’s quote. I wouldn’t do what I do if I didn’t love learning and helping others’ learn. In fact one of my top four personal values is learning/teaching. I put them together as one value because they reinforce each other and to me, are just two sides of the same coin.<br />
<br />
John Maxwell says in his book <i>Leadership Gold</i>, “If you want to lead you must learn. If you want to continue to lead, you must continue to learn.” He states that in his experience people fall into one of three categories:<br />
<br />
The Challenge Zone: “I attempt to do what I haven’t done before."<br />
The Comfort Zone: “I do what I already know I can do.”<br />
The Coasting Zone: “I don’t even do what I’ve done before.”<br />
<br />
As babies, we all start out in the challenge zone. But there comes a time in our lives when we no longer have to continue to try new things. That’s when people subconsciously decide which zone they will live in. Those who choose to remain in the comfort or coasting zones miss out on discovering and sharing things with others. They lose a part of themselves which they never truly get to know.<br />
<br />
Smart leaders hire those who enjoy the challenge zone because they know those are the kind of people who help a company excel. To keep these valuable employees working at their best, leaders must foster a learning and growth environment where employees feel comfortable offering new ideas, discussing new concepts and challenging each other. Interactions in such a culture spark the company’s growth as well as the individual's. Dynamic work environments like those often buck the status quo, and successfully so. One current example is Amazon.com which has, to Wall Street's chagrin, eschewed short-term profits for long-term success. (Read more about that <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/thank-you-amazon-2011-10">here</a>.)<br />
<br />
As a leader, you understand the value of continuous learning and the benefits it provides you, your employees and your organization. How do you ensure that your working environment is fostering growth and learning for your employees?<br />
<br />
Maxwell says you can identify a growth environment because the following ten things are in place:<br />
<br />
1. Others are ahead of you.<br />
2. You are continually challenged.<br />
3. Your focus is forward.<br />
4. The atmosphere is affirming.<br />
5. You are often out of your comfort zone.<br />
6. You wake up excited.<br />
7. Failure is not your enemy.<br />
8. Others are growing.<br />
9. People desire change.<br />
10. Growth is modeled and expected.<br />
<br />
How does your organization rate? If you can confidently say you foster those characteristics in your office, then you probably have a top-notch team and others who are lining up at your door to work there. <br />
<br />
<br />
<object data="http://movieclips.com/e/x7P8/0/83.754/" height="233" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(0, 0, 0); display: block; overflow: hidden;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560"> <param name="movie" value="http://movieclips.com/e/x7P8/0/83.754/" /><param name=FlashVars VALUE="autoPlay=false"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://movieclips.com/e/x7P8/0/83.754/" FlashVars="autoPlay=false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" movie="http://movieclips.com/e/x7P8/0/83.754/" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" ></embed> </object> <br />
<div style="-moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 4px; -moz-border-radius-bottomright: 4px; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; background: #000000; border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; height: 27px; line-height: 11px; margin: 0; padding: 1px 0 0 0; text-align: center; width: 560px;"><a href="http://movieclips.com/x7P8-charlies-angels-movie-stimulating-innovation/" style="color: #00aeff; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Stimulating Innovation</a><br />
<a href="http://movieclips.com/Ey3x-charlies-angels-movie-videos/" style="color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Charlie's Angels</a> <a href="http://movieclips.com/" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">at MOVIECLIPS.com</a></div>Out of their comfort zone and being challenged! </div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-30174689937500004022011-10-26T12:55:00.000-07:002011-11-23T23:14:27.561-08:00Conflict and Confrontation: How Do You React?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_bYhdweLH1JjnmxHBZm_Qd9PC0gow_lMVHwqG_arQJuoUrRfOwAFQTwc3PpJQpF8Ih4FmnV-nuOkzmrbOg_HBfZHQC3Kd3GYZcd5GsrBeMZXRBhYssurPjLibUnabpw3Sp6tLYK_4Kas3/s1600/bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_bYhdweLH1JjnmxHBZm_Qd9PC0gow_lMVHwqG_arQJuoUrRfOwAFQTwc3PpJQpF8Ih4FmnV-nuOkzmrbOg_HBfZHQC3Kd3GYZcd5GsrBeMZXRBhYssurPjLibUnabpw3Sp6tLYK_4Kas3/s1600/bear.jpg" /></a></div><b>Meeting the Bear Face to Face</b><br />
<br />
In workshops, I have an engaging (well, people do seem to enjoy it) story about what to do when you come face to face with a bear. I use meeting bears as a metaphor for encountering conflict.<br />
<br />
I ask the class participants for a show of hands: Are you supposed to curl up in a fetal position and play dead? Do you spray them with bear repellant? Do you run? Do you shoot or throw rocks? Do you walk in the woods with bear bells, hoping the sound will scare any bears away? Each of these behaviors can be compared to how we deal with conflict.<br />
<br />
For example, do we avoid it and pretend it’s not there (fetal position)? Do we verbally “spray” the other person with our anger? Do we get out of the way? Do we go on attack? Or my favorite: I would like to just walk through life with my bear bells, hoping conflict will avoid me.<br />
<br />
When I lived in Alaska, I went to a seminar presented by Fish and Wildlife troopers to tell me how to live with bears. I lived on a dead end dirt road in the boonies, where hunters would park their beat-up trucks and go into the woods to hunt for deer and bear. I’m sure I was the only house in Alaska without a gun.<br />
<br />
What I learned was that with black bears, you are supposed to raise your arms up high and look as big as you can. That way, the bear will acknowledge you as the bigger bear, and leave you alone.<br />
<br />
While hiking the Summerland trail, I came face to face with a black bear. My sweetie and I like this trail, and you may have read <a href="http://managerevolution.blogspot.com/2011/07/setting-clear-expectations-prevents-fly.html">another story</a> I wrote mentioning it. We usually see marmots on this hike, and one year we saw mountain goats. We were about ½ hour into the 9 mile trail when we came around a slight curve and Bart said “Oh wow”, rather quietly. I looked up and lumbering toward us on the trail was a medium sized black bear. While we stopped, the bear just kept on walking straight for us.<br />
<br />
That was a little disconcerting. We stepped to the side of the trail behind a fallen tree, which protected us to right above our knees. While Bart rummaged in his backpack for his whistle, I momentarily felt at a loss as to what to do. After the initial surge of fear when I realized the bear wasn’t going to leave the trail for us, I just felt helpless.<br />
<br />
I moved my arms in a sweeping motion. “Go on. Go on, now. Shoo.“ I tried to convey to the bear that it should move off the trail. The bear continued mellowly walking toward us for a few steps, then as it closed in on us at about 30 feet, veered off the trail and started walking into the woods toward Frying Pan Creek. Just then Bart found his whistle and blew it, a weak, shrill sound that didn’t even reach a marmot cry. The bear didn’t react, just continued on it’s way down the slope.<br />
<br />
Whew! We recovered and continued on our hike. Ten minutes later, I said, “Hey, we were supposed to raise our arms above our heads so we looked really big to the bear.”<br />
<br />
How many times had I relayed that tidbit of information to a roomful of workshop participants? Do you think I remembered my own advice when the time actually came to use it?<br />
<br />
Forgetting good advice often flies out of our heads in the heat of an encounter. Under stress, we react, and revert to natural behaviors, not learned ones. Unless we have trained ourselves to behave in a certain way, we are likely to fall back on old behaviors that may or may not be the best way to handle a situation.<br />
<br />
A study of the four behavior styles reveals how people will likely react when their hot buttons are pushed. As their behaviors align with their dominant styles, people can be pretty predictable.<br />
<br />
Controllers (also known as D’s, Reds, and Drivers, depending on the behavior style system consulted) are likely to take over, dictate, suppress their emotions, blame and/or explode. Controllers are not afraid of conflict, in fact they are often the source of it. They will ask tough questions and make assertive statements with the goal of spurring action and getting results – not of actually causing conflict. However, for the other three styles, this often feels like provoking conflict or confrontation.<br />
<br />
Persuaders (also known as I’s, Yellows, or Expressives) tend toward verbal attacks which may take the form of sarcasm and barbs, especially in the office where yelling is frowned upon. They also have a tendency to react emotionally and may cry, talk about the situation excessively, dump it on someone else, and then, may forget about it.<br />
<br />
When Stabilizers (aka S’s, Greens and Amiables) are under a lot of tension, they will likely give in (and may later “get even”), avoid the situation or person, worry, wait too long to act, and tell others. They would prefer to avoid conflict and being relationship-oriented will have a very difficult time confronting the other about the stress they are experiencing.<br />
<br />
When Analyzers (or C’s, Blues, and Analyticals) face conflict, they are more likely to withdraw – physically if possible. If they can’t leave the room, they will withdraw emotionally and verbally. They also tend to nitpick and try to prove they are “right”.<br />
<br />
Essentially, two of these styles are more of the “fight” orientation (Persuaders and Controllers go on verbal attack or take over). And the other two styles tend more toward “flight”: Analyzers will withdraw and Stabilizers will avoid conflict and/or acquiesce. However, when pushed past their limits, each style will end up doing the opposite of what is their natural behavior. For example, if you see a Controller acquiescing, a Persuader withdrawing, a Stabilizer exploding, or an Analyzer going on verbal attack and getting over-emotional, you know they are out of control. These extreme behaviors mean it’s way past time to deal with the conflict in a constructive manner.<br />
<br />
Although we all have elements of all four behavior styles, one is usually dominant. If you learn to identify others’ styles (and your own) you will gain a tremendous amount of insight into why they act the way they do and how to effectively communicate with them to create win-win situations and prevent unneeded stress and tension. Conflict is okay, in fact it is often a good thing, as long as everyone knows how to play fair.<br />
<br />
<br />
If you’d like to learn more about how to deal with difficult situations and people, contact me for information on a workshop or coaching session. Understanding behavior styles is essential for creating positive influence and effective communication. It’s one of the most powerful tool’s in a manager’s toolbox.<br />
<br />
And now when I tell my workshop stories, I can add one more metaphor for dealing with conflict: Shoo it away. <br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AgLCdrcy0xQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
A baby black bear grazes the supermarket produce section in Ketchikan, Alaska, where I first learned how to live with bears.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qGA8OStsicE" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-30437562636625824772011-10-20T11:54:00.000-07:002011-10-20T12:03:14.012-07:00Occupy Wall Street: The "Leaderless" Movement on the Leading Edge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslrFTVQYgFAA6g8GleFDQoolsmI3t6YSPI2iH5TjftoiPg4-ylSQlTrq87wWCwpLkOQzYBB2a31ucJicBjXp73fk4OKce5C2AvJyf0wun_5k_HiI77iw0Oclygn19LpxzVC4E_TjhI-PQ/s1600/OWS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslrFTVQYgFAA6g8GleFDQoolsmI3t6YSPI2iH5TjftoiPg4-ylSQlTrq87wWCwpLkOQzYBB2a31ucJicBjXp73fk4OKce5C2AvJyf0wun_5k_HiI77iw0Oclygn19LpxzVC4E_TjhI-PQ/s1600/OWS.jpg" /></a>The Occupy Wall Street movement is against greed and corruption. But what are they for? What is their vision?<br />
<br />
I’d like to think they are for re-instating the true essence of the American Dream.<br />
<br />
The American Dream is played out a little differently if you are a recent immigrant or home-grown, but at it’s core it is about ensuring equal opportunity for everyone. Having friends in high places in order to get ahead is not supposed to be what the US is all about. Americans are supposed to have equal opportunity to start one’s own business, to get an education, to find a job, and yes, even for health care. Citizens insisted that they had an equal opportunity to own their own homes, which unfortunately our financial and real estate systems tried to support (although primarily from a greedy motivation not a patriotic one) to everyone’s detriment.<br />
<br />
We don’t truly yet have equal opportunity, of course, but that is what all our laws and regulations over the past decades have striven toward. And having lived and travelled internationally, we do have equal opportunity far more than most countries.<br />
<br />
But has equal opportunity turned into the American Pipe Dream?<br />
<br />
The “white man’s sickness” of needing to have more and more has eroded the American Dream. Perhaps this culmination was inevitable. We watched from the outside as Washington power-brokers rewarded each other for their favors with contracts, tax cuts, and donations. Huge corporations got huger, and politicians and CEOs got explosively richer.<br />
<br />
But as long as we were able to live in relative abundance with our computers, fancy phones and other gadgets, we let it slide. Most of us were pretty happy with our level of comfort and managed to turn a blind eye to the growing population of homeless and poor.<br />
<br />
But now we feel the pain too. We have cut back, slid back, and spun our wheels trying to stay in place to no avail. Yet the barbs keep coming to remind us that there is a huge gap between the average American and that one percent. CEO pay is one of the most obvious:<br />
<br />
• Since the 1970’s median pay for executives at the largest US companies have quadrupled, even adjusting for inflation. Over the same period, average pay for a non-supervisory worker dropped more than 10 percent, according to the <a href="http://www.bls.gov/home.htm">Bureau of Labor Statistics</a>.<br />
<br />
• CEOs at 299 US companies had combined compensation of $3.4 billion in 2010, enough to pay 102,325 workers, according to the <a href="http://www.aflcio.org/corporatewatch/paywatch/paydisparityratio.cfm">AFL-CIO's Executive Paywatch</a>. Average pay per CEO was $11.4 million.<br />
<br />
• According to an October 10th, 2011 fact-checking article on <a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2011/oct/10/facebook-posts/viral-facebook-post-ceo-worker-pay-ratio-has-obscu/">Politifact</a>, the latest CEO-to-worker pay ratio in the U.S. is “185 to 1 in one study and 325 to 1 in another -- and those numbers were not generated by groups that might have an ideological interest in downplaying the gaps between rich and poor.”<br />
<br />
• The average American large-company CEO makes 225% more than the average large-company CEO in the other 13 largest industrial countries. According to Lawrence Mishel's study "The State of Working America 2005, 2006" from the <a href="http://www.stateofworkingamerica.org/">Economic Policy Institute</a>.<br />
<br />
There is no doubt that compensation for large company executives is so out of whack that it can lead to poor employee morale and an increasing ‘us against them’ mentality. That type of thinking leads to employees cutting corners and not engaging in such a way that creativity and growth suffer. It’s just poor business strategy in the long run.<br />
<br />
And now, the relentless economic struggle has resulted in the Occupy Wall Street movement. This movement is said to be leaderless but seems to me to be filled with leaders. They are the leaders of all of us complacent disgruntled Americans who have done nothing but complain and become dismayed and depressed at our lack of forward momentum. They are on the leading edge of those who want to take back the American Dream and refresh it with a more collaborative, honest and egalitarian commitment. And they want to see that commitment to refreshment and change from the current establishment powers-that-be.<br />
<br />
We - "the 99%" - may have the education and the initiative, but the opportunities are lacking. Most of us don’t have the connections that 31-year-old Chelsea Clinton has, who was recently offered a $300,000 per year Board position with IAC. The playing field is not level and never has been. But it has gotten so enormously steep in the past couple of decades that we are exhausted trying to maintain our footing.<br />
<br />
Things have got to change and the leaders of the change are out there camping in the streets. These leaders are redefining leadership as we are used to viewing it. How are they articulating their vision? Are we on board yet? If so, why? If not, why not? Does it have anything to do with their leadership style? What results are they getting? What relationships are they building?<br />
<br />
Is Occupy Wall Street a revolution in leadership as much as a movement against greed and corruption? I, for one, am going to pay attention and find out.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/O5epuPMf-7Y" width="560"></iframe></div>Or is it just a movement of bums? (Warning: foul language!)</div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-49392417481585040842011-10-12T10:04:00.000-07:002011-10-12T10:04:35.922-07:00Boss's Day Sentiments<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boss%27_Day">Happy Boss's Day</a>!</div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbsU6D9XDGCKgbF6Jb3F_Ms06D-uRmm2uUfgcyfXe-x2AL7EHlVM_DpzNrdXLGnPz2f5M9X3IBd2aNIZQkS9FRmJq82yajaDcmzufaIkw2KlpeJy9Ty3FObFWMqILH-JHqEfXLmSNKPEG/s1600/bosses+day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbsU6D9XDGCKgbF6Jb3F_Ms06D-uRmm2uUfgcyfXe-x2AL7EHlVM_DpzNrdXLGnPz2f5M9X3IBd2aNIZQkS9FRmJq82yajaDcmzufaIkw2KlpeJy9Ty3FObFWMqILH-JHqEfXLmSNKPEG/s1600/bosses+day.jpg" /></a>Have you ever heard or uttered those words before? Chances are you haven’t. I have never been in an office where the day was observed, although I am sure there is some happy outpost where the employees are honoring their boss on that day. <br />
<br />
Eighty-five percent of employees like their boss and think they are doing a pretty good job. If you think your boss is in that 85% too, why don’t you take a moment to let them know you appreciate them? A little honest appreciation, as you know with your own employees, can go a long way. <br />
<br />
I know many of you don’t feel comfortable giving cards or writing sloppy sentiments to anyone, much less your boss. That’s why I have come up with some snappy messages that you can add to a card or note. I suggest you forego the electronic message for something a little more time-tested and traditional. Paper, whether a fancy greeting card, a blank notecard, or even just a sheet swiped from the printer, makes a stronger impression than a virtual message, no matter how many sounds and colors are attached. How quaint, I know, but usually true. <br />
<br />
For your greeting-card ease, check these out:<br />
<br />
<u>The Haiku</u> <br />
<br />
Haikus traditionally reference nature. They are a good choice if you work in international business or your boss appreciates poetry, the outdoors, or sushi. It’s pretty easy to create a poem with the 5 syllables – 7 syllables – 5 syllables formula. Here are three examples:<br />
<br />
In stormy work times<br />
Your equanimity is<br />
An island of calm.<br />
<br />
Your guiding presence<br />
And encouraging support:<br />
Like sun in winter.<br />
<br />
“Awesome job!” you say<br />
And I work harder for you.<br />
I return the praise.<br />
<br />
Try it out yourself, it's not hard.<br />
<br />
<u>The Limerick</u><br />
<br />
Limericks are a little trickier to write than haiku. The limerick is often a little bawdy and may not be the best choice for your boss unless you have a very good relationship with them, they love jokes, and you can keep it clean. Here is the formula to write a limerick: Lines 1, 2, and 5 of limericks have seven to ten syllables and rhyme with one another. Lines 3 and 4 of limericks have five to seven syllables and also rhyme with each other. I may have fudged a bit on some of that below:<br />
<br />
There once was a boss from Intel<br />
Who implored her staff, “Sell, sell, sell!”<br />
Her staff did her bidding<br />
The boss did no ridding<br />
And all stayed together in hell.<br />
<br />
Oh, oops, maybe that wasn’t quite right for Boss’s Day, and anyway that was too specific for general use. How about another?<br />
<br />
There once was a generous boss<br />
Whose staff was prepared for loss<br />
When layoffs came round<br />
New money was found<br />
So the boss did not have to toss.<br />
<br />
Or:<br />
Our boss is an exceptional guy<br />
He knows how to tie a tie<br />
And when he walks in<br />
Respect replaces the din<br />
On him we can rely.<br />
<br />
And:<br />
There is an amazing man<br />
Who leads a misfit clan<br />
With patience and care<br />
Smarts, humor and flair<br />
With him, succeed we can!<br />
<br />
A little Yoda-speak there on the last one, but you get the idea.<br />
<br />
Perhaps that’s enough “poetry”, if you can call it that. But using a standard poetry vehicle lifts the seriousness and eases any discomfort about telling people how we feel, while still conveying appreciation.Once again, I encourage you to give it a try.<br />
<br />
But sometimes you just want to say something simply. All kidding aside, you really want to let them know you appreciate what they do (at least most of the time, right?) The most straightforward and probably most appreciated note would say something like one or a combination of the following:<br />
<br />
I am lucky to have you for a boss. (Why? Give a specific example like “no one else has ever taken their role as a coach so seriously” or “I have experienced more success working for you than anyone else.”)<br />
<br />
You have a knack for …(managing our diverse team, simplifying the confusing, inspiring our efforts, handling difficult situations, etc….) and I am learning from you.<br />
<br />
Thank you for your support and encouragement. (and then give a specific example of when they encouraged or supported you or say something like “There are so many instances where your encouraging words were just what I needed.”)<br />
<br />
I appreciate your … (fill in the word: patience, persistence, creativity, resourcefulness, sense of humor, appreciation…)<br />
<br />
You get the idea. I know finding the right words can be difficult sometimes so I hope these examples will help you express your gratitude. So don’t forget - October 16th is Boss’s Day. Since it’s a Sunday, you may want to celebrate this Friday, or at the least Monday. But really, any time is a fine time to convey appreciation.<br />
<br />
<object width='512' height='296'><param name='movie' value='http://www.hulu.com/site-player/playerembed.swf?eid=43LxBXQQCq4sDwDuwiQM-g&referrer='></param><param name='allowFullScreen' value='true'></param><embed src='http://www.hulu.com/site-player/playerembed.swf?eid=43LxBXQQCq4sDwDuwiQM-g&referrer=' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' allowFullScreen='true' width='512' height='296'></embed></object><br />
A simple note could have prevented this public appreciation fiasco!<br />
<br />
If you can't see the 1.48 minute Parks and Recreation video, here is the URL:<br />
http://www.hulu.com/watch/132399/parks-and-recreation-award-ceremony<br />
<br />
</div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-74019652685372897772011-09-28T08:21:00.000-07:002011-09-28T08:21:42.964-07:00Do Leaders Need to Use Social Media?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhzGLPYZ6KO7X6_ovCB2jCdGfFH8PapxzRzOLKU0U1xN0EY779OQpjCng5Em9652E0O91f2gvpLJs7st5CU_W-lCg0XB1Skqxy32U3yRgONnFTZfKF-be50Vr20VKsivhPBTDNxTP0-Mp/s1600/texting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhzGLPYZ6KO7X6_ovCB2jCdGfFH8PapxzRzOLKU0U1xN0EY779OQpjCng5Em9652E0O91f2gvpLJs7st5CU_W-lCg0XB1Skqxy32U3yRgONnFTZfKF-be50Vr20VKsivhPBTDNxTP0-Mp/s400/texting.jpg" width="400" /></a>What is a leader today?</div><br />
I was listening to a teleclass from Linda Bernardi from the <a href="http://www.bernardileadershipinstitute.com/">Bernardi Leadership Institute </a> and she said the word “leader” should be changed to “collaborative influencer.” The word leader, she said, brings up old experiences with authoritarian types, and that’s not what a leader should be today. <br />
<br />
Leaders today, she emphasized, need to be able to engage their constituents in a cooperative manner with the intent to create an awesome customer experience together. A leader today needs to take advantage of the two-way conversations and transparency that social media channels provide. In this case, they need to be able to effectively text and blog, Facebook and Twitter, and do whatever it takes to interact honestly with their constituents: customers, employees, investors, lenders, vendors.<br />
<br />
I don’t think a two-syllable word is going to be replaced by a nine-syllable one, but I understand what she is saying. There is a shift going on. Leaders are being forced, due to the internet and it’s social media channels, to be more transparent. If they want their company to be taken seriously by their customers and themselves to be respected by their employees, then they need to know how to engage with them on their terms. <br />
<br />
Many of my clients eschew these modern avenues of communication. They say they don’t have the time, are not interested, and/or don’t like the lack of privacy. However, social media is not going away. It is getting bigger. They need to know that to be an effective leader today, they need to be able to carry on relevant conversations that show their knowledge of their topic, and their interest in their constituents. <br />
<br />
A leader today needs to be a collaborative influencer both face to face and virtually. These skills are essential . The very definition of a leader is one who influences. And others won’t allow themselves to be influenced – or can’t – if communication is not in the form they use and expect.<br />
<br />
Does your CEO use social media effectively – to influence collaboratively? Do you? How important do you think it is for your organization’s leaders to be able to use social media effectively in order to build trust, respect and business?<br />
<br />
Are you a “collaborative influencer”?<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Uh9QlqBhCmM" width="560"></iframe></div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-85527548016470503152011-09-14T11:05:00.000-07:002012-01-19T15:30:06.076-08:00How Layoffs Reveal Your Leadership Qualities<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfe49MKP75lij7mOTRIqTWGoVxfivGglmIQLLo_3r2c2NVna3o6DnwosrG06oUd9lT6sjnVCh3DULfDQHo341OnXWVXJ8rtv_0vPVF1CazRUm0TZVIA8jfoLAHa8yC4OGWqKJq_I4jvbSm/s1600/excessworker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfe49MKP75lij7mOTRIqTWGoVxfivGglmIQLLo_3r2c2NVna3o6DnwosrG06oUd9lT6sjnVCh3DULfDQHo341OnXWVXJ8rtv_0vPVF1CazRUm0TZVIA8jfoLAHa8yC4OGWqKJq_I4jvbSm/s400/excessworker.jpg" width="302" /></a>I just received an email with the subject line ‘Checklist for Terminating an Employee’. It turned out to be an advertisement for a book called <i>From Hello to Goodbye</i>. For some reason, although the book is about the entire work span of an employee, the only chapter that was mentioned in the message was the one on how to “terminate the employment relationship”.<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
This how-to chapter was the sole selling point for the entire book. The email came from the Society for Human Resource Management, so it is intended for HR professionals. <br />
<br />
Although I’ve never been “fired” per se (although one insensitive career counselor moved a colleague to tears when she told our group of newly separated workers that being laid off was the same thing as being fired), I have been laid off several times and each time the process was handled very differently. No matter how Human Resources, legal departments or senior management define the termination process, the ultimate responsibility for how the separation is actually handled rests with the worker’s manager. <br />
<br />
The coldest, most impersonal layoff I experienced was probably done according to the above-mentioned Checklist. My boss had been distant for some time. When he called me into his office where another manager was sitting, I immediately knew this was it. It offended me that he felt he had to have a witness. Without any emotion, he said he’d decided to outsource my position, explained my severance package, and asked that I pack my things and leave that afternoon. This was the least sensitive layoff I’d experienced, and the one done most “by the book”. My boss was Vice-President of Human Resources.<br />
<br />
The most humane termination experience I had was the time my boss defied the HR rules. My supervisor rounded up our team of four and said, “I’m not supposed to tell you this, and you can’t tell anyone else. But lay-offs are going to happen next week and all of you are among them.” She then took us out to lunch and gave us the rest of the day off to “go sign up at the unemployment office”. It was a Friday and on Tuesday of the next week, dozens of people were called into a large room and told en masse that their jobs were eliminated. Stunned co-workers wandered the halls, but gratefully, we weren’t among them.<br />
<br />
In the second example, some will say my boss acted rashly and laid the company open to possible lawsuits by doing what she did. But my opinion was she was a very smart leader. First, she knew us well and knew that getting laid off would be a hardship for us. She wanted to give us the news in as helpful and human a way as possible. She showed empathy and concern. <br />
<br />
Second, studies have shown that ensuring the dignity of terminated workers goes a long way toward heading off lawsuits. One study of displaced employees found that 15 percent of workers who felt their severance experience lacked dignity or respect had filed wrongful termination lawsuits. <br />
<br />
Honesty, sensitivity and caring for an individual help mitigate the devastation of layoffs. As a leader, you must take care to make clear, fair and informed choices about which employees to let go and which to keep. By being transparent about how the decisions are made, and making an effort to over-communicate the what, why, and how of the layoffs, you are showing your employees respect. <br />
<br />
One study reported that losing one’s job created more stress than a divorce. It doesn’t matter which euphemism is used – downsizing, rightsizing, workforce reduction, delayering, made redundant, releasing, and on and on – if you are laying people off, you are the instigator of perhaps one of the biggest stressors of your employee’s life. That’s a lot of weight to carry.<br />
<br />
When feeling stressed, it’s common to make more errors and to react emotionally. If you serve as an example of calmness and empathy during challenging times you can help spread that behavior. The worst situations are an opportunity to reveal the best in you. <br />
<br />
Unemployment is still high and the news in the last week reminds us that cutbacks are continuing. Unfortunately employee layoffs are one of the primary management tools used to increase efficiency and reduce expenses. Bank of America announced over 30,000 layoffs in the coming year. You just need to check <a href="http://www.dailyjobcuts.com/">Daily Job Cuts </a>or the BLS site <a href="http://www.bls.gov/mls/">Mass Layoff Statistics</a> to see the gloomy updates.<br />
<br />
It’s not easy to be the one to communicate a termination or to be among those left behind. By choosing behaviors that show respect and caring, especially when times are very difficult, you have an opportunity to illustrate true leadership qualities.<br />
<br />
“At the heart of leadership is caring. Without caring, leadership has no purpose.”<br />
– James Kouzes and Barry Posner, <em>Encouraging the Heart</em><br />
<object height="288" width="512"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/n_85_IPbJYZB2gN7OvQ0PA"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/n_85_IPbJYZB2gN7OvQ0PA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="288" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object><br />
A new euphemism: "We have to synergize backward overflow."<br />
<br />
</div></div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-48496370253767743432011-09-07T08:35:00.000-07:002011-09-08T09:47:31.517-07:00Coaching Virtual Teams<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVbq9MDi7z2Xu-FJ4UpK5s-3aM8096ZUA4YJdxpsGz9q99Ib3rx2eFAvSBFIUDIEpd5aBPYRyEorbYdqE77X9byldo-vqC0O4kVAtOEMOsNvChN52uFEkOL09pJKwPN4xmckqfCm8Av7W/s1600/phone+call.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVbq9MDi7z2Xu-FJ4UpK5s-3aM8096ZUA4YJdxpsGz9q99Ib3rx2eFAvSBFIUDIEpd5aBPYRyEorbYdqE77X9byldo-vqC0O4kVAtOEMOsNvChN52uFEkOL09pJKwPN4xmckqfCm8Av7W/s200/phone+call.jpg" width="197" /></a>A good manager is also a good coach. But what if your team is a virtual one, spread out in different cities or countries? A lot of leaders with virtual teams choose to ignore that part of managing and prefer to focus their precious time on their projects, not their people. It is definitely taking the easy way out, but when their companies don’t particularly reward efforts at employee development you can’t blame these managers much.<br />
<br />
Being good leaders, <em>we </em>know this is short-sighted, especially when there is a dearth of good leadership which is only going to get worse as people switch organizations, opt out of corporate work, or retire.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
Developing future leaders starts with being a great coach to them. Building trust and respect is the foundation of coaching. I know your time is limited but adding a few minutes to your schedule should pay off when you don’t have to spend time onboarding a new hire after your employees quit for more enticing opportunities. Here are a few suggestions for developing trust and respect and for coaching those remote employees:<br />
<br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"></div>• Talk one-to-one via the telephone to each direct report periodically. Include a little “personal time” talk to find out what they did during the weekend, how their family is doing, and milestones for them and their kids. Write down their kids’ and spouses’ names and important facts like their hobbies or birthdays. Put the birthdays and other milestones into your calendar.<br />
<br />
• Be sure and send a text or email message acknowledging those milestones when they come up in your calendar. Follow up with questions about events and people that are important to them. Your direct reports will be impressed that you remembered or cared. This is all about relationship-building.<br />
<br />
• Listen carefully during conference calls and take notes. Listen to how your employees communicate and interact, ideas they may present, or priorities they focus on. Listen first of all for things you can reinforce with a little praise and appreciation. Listen second for things you can help them improve in order to be more successful. Respond immediately out loud on the call for the good stuff. Call them later for a ‘coaching to improve performance’ conversation for the other.<br />
<br />
• Stay collaboratively influential with social media. Be sure your team has a Yammer or Sharepoint site, or even a Facebook page where you can share ideas and observations with each other. Besides messages about the projects your team is responsible for, this allows you an open forum for team coaching.<br />
<br />
Studies have shown that 5:1 is the “magic ratio” for optimum relationships. That means in order to develop and maintain good relationships (whether personal or professional), there should be a minimum of 5 positive interactions to every negative one. That’s even more important to keep in mind when you can only communicate virtually. Just talking about business all the time is neutral, and not necessarily a “positive interaction”.<br />
<br />
How to manage performance and coach employees to develop is a challenge when it’s face-to-face, much less virtually. Managers need to be even more vigilant and observant in order to detect those teachable moments and identify those coachable direct reports. But if you don’t want your people to jump ship at the next opportunity, you need to be the boss they want to work for. That means helping them be successful in their current work and coaching them on how to be ready to advance in their careers. No matter where they are. <br />
<br />
How do you build trust and respect with your virtual team members?<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MESCC-MzS-8" width="420"></iframe><br />
Communicating with your remote team members can have unforeseen challenges.</div><embed src="http://playingforchange.com/player/widget.swf?episode=52" width="460" height="360" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent"><br />
The Playing for Change folks must be incredible at virtual teaming to come up with these amazing performances!Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-51551863348302112822011-08-24T12:31:00.000-07:002011-08-24T12:50:30.817-07:00Your Department’s Reputation = You<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg589CDYaz2IEVpBkzcLaZUdVcndYQ65wxhBoRmfOHL_ylO18MGketvKgwy20yzaS-vQq-bGHiNGxddOniZ7Afq0xCYyGJ78iyLFqPxAUZ2glwxC6UdkQc0NwQlNrZ5KjDPzWVEkYfw3PS9/s1600/meeting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg589CDYaz2IEVpBkzcLaZUdVcndYQ65wxhBoRmfOHL_ylO18MGketvKgwy20yzaS-vQq-bGHiNGxddOniZ7Afq0xCYyGJ78iyLFqPxAUZ2glwxC6UdkQc0NwQlNrZ5KjDPzWVEkYfw3PS9/s320/meeting.jpg" width="320" /></a>Twenty years ago I worked at a company that was and still is known as one of <a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2011/full_list/"><em>Fortune Magazine’s</em> 100 Best Companies to Work For</a>. My department and most of the people I worked with were fun and supportive. We worked hard, had a chance to be innovative, and were appreciated for our efforts. <br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"></div>But one department that I had to work with on a regular basis was a nightmare for me. In fact, the department was so difficult to work with that it had acquired a nickname in the company - the “Estrogen Explosion”. Needless to say, the top two or three people from the vice president on down were women who perpetuated the B-word. And I don’t mean <em>boss</em>.<br />
<br />
I had many run-ins with these women and I often left our bi-weekly meetings feeling frustrated and put-down. My own boss, a very nice man, didn’t have a clue as to how to work with them effectively and so I didn’t receive any coaching on how to deal with their behavior. <br />
<br />
I tried everything I could think of to improve the situation. I hosted appreciation events with both of our departments to strengthen working relationships. I tried holding my ground and talking sternly back to them when they got on my case. I tried letting their sarcasm and snide comments wash right over me without reacting. In the end, they “won” as I left the company, feeling exhausted and somewhat abused. My nice boss had left two years earlier and had been replaced by one not so understanding or supportive. Between him and the constant stress from working with the Estrogen Explosion, I needed a long break and I took it. <br />
<br />
I was one more person who left a good job with a good company due to poor leadership.<br />
<br />
Do you know what your department’s reputation is? Is your team known for being easy to get along with, knowledgeable, and high-performing? Or do other employees dread inter-departmental meetings with your people? <br />
<br />
I have experienced both extremely collaborative departmental cultures and the opposite. Sometimes the team is on the whole very cooperative except for one odd person who is insecure or competitive or both. Leaders set the tone - they reinforce the values which become the culture of their areas. If they are competitive, secretive, and power-mongering, then their organization will tend to be the same. If they keep themselves and others accountable to a higher set of behaviors, then those will morph into the culture and reputation of not only their department, but will become their <a href="http://managerevolution.blogspot.com/2011/03/define-your-signature-leadership.html">signature leadership qualities</a> as well.<br />
<br />
As one (and not the only one) of the casualties of the Estrogen Explosion, I observed first-hand the different leadership styles and their effects on the people around them. This experience was one of the catalysts for changing my career from international sales and marketing to a coach and consultant. So I did get something positive from that prolonged ‘learning experience’. And I pass my hard-earned wisdom on to anyone who needs it. <br />
<br />
From my position now as a leadership coach and trainer, I know that there were things I could have done at the time had I known of them. I can see that my behavior style was a direct opposite of the vice-president’s and her manager’s. Had I known then what I know now about flexing my behavior style, I could have mitigated the confrontations to some extent. Roles, responsibilities, and expectations should have constantly been reviewed because there was overlap between our two departments that also contributed to the conflict. And, my nice boss also had a behavior style which was in conflict with theirs. If he had understood what I do now, he could have coached me on quite a few options to try in order to improve circumstances. <br />
<br />
What values are you reinforcing? What behaviors do your employees see you employing, especially when circumstances are stressful? Are you keeping others accountable to high behavior standards or do you let them get away with (seemingly) minor transgressions as long as you get the results you want? What you say and do ends up affecting your entire organization, but most of all, it affects you and your direct reports. Find out what your department’s reputation is, and if you want to change it, it starts with you.<br />
<object height="288" width="512"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/RTcAlw1C_AES3BHJLZs0sg"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/RTcAlw1C_AES3BHJLZs0sg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="288" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object><br />
Testosterone Explosion? </div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-88311498722591010252011-08-10T09:44:00.000-07:002011-08-10T09:57:27.201-07:00Could Your "Difficult Employee" Have a Personality Disorder?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWIhUaWcgQJyk7WD2M7xYcOrdKHFJ7yECb6V-KaJCl5F8redmGv_u9vNjX6nmPXArWqF_hJkVXCDjJRmtFdhWxjWs8GQloa_0eVlhPUNWQN-BBUnh2eePwStja33_Nqph3JYLRGsNe-qP/s1600/Paranoiadftdg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWIhUaWcgQJyk7WD2M7xYcOrdKHFJ7yECb6V-KaJCl5F8redmGv_u9vNjX6nmPXArWqF_hJkVXCDjJRmtFdhWxjWs8GQloa_0eVlhPUNWQN-BBUnh2eePwStja33_Nqph3JYLRGsNe-qP/s320/Paranoiadftdg.jpg" width="246" /></a>In a <a href="http://www.hreonline.com/HRE/story.jsp?storyId=533339312">study </a>of over 29,000 men and women in the U.S. workforce, it was determined that 18% of men and 16% of women have personality disorders that cause them to deviate from societal norms when interacting with others. The most common of these personality disorders, in order, were obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anti-social behavior, and paranoia. (Contrary to how the layperson usually defines it, anti-social behavior refers to behaviors such as lying, cheating and stealing.)</div><br />
Personality disorders are less serious mental illnesses than diagnoses such as depression or bipolar disorder. But they do cause difficulties for the afflicted and those around them. Employees with personality disorders lost their jobs at about double the rate of those without disorders, and experienced serious problems with bosses or co-workers three times as often.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1732978">This study</a>, published in the January, 2011 edition of the journal <i>Industrial Relations</i>, might explain any “difficult employees” you have. It seems every office has at least one. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is the most prevalent and usually the least offensive. I know my exercise teacher exhibits that at every class: when others try to help her take down equipment after class she gets upset when they put away things in the “wrong” place or wrap up cords and things the “wrong” way. If they try to help her by setting up chairs she will rearrange them so they are “just so” – alternating sets of two and three along each wall. We old-timers have learned not to help her and she appreciates that.<br />
<br />
At work, these common personality disorders may show up as interpreting emails in distorted ways, taking innocent comments as personal insults, refusing to accept different ways of doing things, or seeing conspiracies where there are none. And of course, lying, cheating and stealing.<br />
<br />
Although one of my clients told me, “Managers have to be psychologists!”, you really don’t have to be the one to make a personality disorder diagnosis, nor should you be. However, you should be alert to these types of behaviors so you can work with the individual in the best possible way. Just because someone has a personality disorder doesn’t mean they can’t still be a very valuable employee.<br />
<br />
As with any employee, here are some management approaches to keep in mind:<br />
<br />
• Assign responsibilities that may take advantage of their disorder’s challenges: for example, have them proof outgoing communications to ensure benign interpretation and proper procedure.<br />
• Allow them to redesign tasks to fit their work styles.<br />
• Ensure that your professional expectations are clear and hold them accountable when they don’t meet them.<br />
• Understand that they may work best independently and try to assign responsibilities that allow them to do so.<br />
• If there are repeated negative encounters with no improvement, yet the employee meets work output expectations, encourage them to take advantage of the Employee Assistance Program or other health benefits your employer may provide.<br />
• Again, if there are repeated negative encounters with no improvement, it may be wise to consult with your legal and human resources departments to understand how best to deal with individuals with mental health challenges, and how to screen for them when hiring.<br />
<br />
No one chooses to have a personality disorder. Diagnosed personality disorders are covered in the United States by the Americans with Disabilities Act, and are treatable.<br />
<br />
The researchers estimate that their study results showing 17% of the workforce struggling with a personality disorder is probably low. Like my coaching client said, managers do need to be somewhat of a psychologist in order to be able to manage people effectively. It’s important to be aware of common psychological challenges that your employees may be dealing with and to have some options for managing them.<br />
<br />
<object height="288" width="512"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/3uh-PMZhv8D5bthr3WgiVg"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/3uh-PMZhv8D5bthr3WgiVg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="288" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object></div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-82050245409584801752011-08-03T17:14:00.000-07:002011-08-03T17:14:56.254-07:00Ask, Don't Tell<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVRsfdmOQVlSGOHtmzRx7-ifKesC_O-pBjexV66BLKjaoHZObGFKUTcwdsD6NC-jekKOGVQoYZ3gZgcbxJESvNTK8lNmL7NXsbe89-kYKUW4PfvnyCCcgqAUO_RTZtKy62Adq9dCrmJlV/s1600/Coaching" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVRsfdmOQVlSGOHtmzRx7-ifKesC_O-pBjexV66BLKjaoHZObGFKUTcwdsD6NC-jekKOGVQoYZ3gZgcbxJESvNTK8lNmL7NXsbe89-kYKUW4PfvnyCCcgqAUO_RTZtKy62Adq9dCrmJlV/s400/Coaching" width="400" /></a>In this blog, I give a lot of advice. I am a teacher at my core and I like to share tips that will help others. This blog is a great outlet for me, because when I am in “coach” mode, I turn the advice off. </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The best coaching is the kind that helps the other person access their own wisdom. (I know, doesn’t that sound wise?) The best coaching means asking questions that help the person clarify their thinking and consider looking at things in a different way. The best coaching helps them become a better thinker, a better solution-finder, and allows them their own “ah-ha” moments that really don’t happen when someone else tells them what to do. The best coaching allows people to transform into their better selves through the simple act of asking questions and listening. </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> </div>Sure, occasionally a client is “stuck” and insists on getting some answers from me. I try to be careful with this. I offer suggestions and tips that may or may not work for them, giving them the ultimate choice about whether to try them or not. After all, they are the only ones who are walking in their shoes, and they are the only ones who know whether something will work for them or not. And, taking another’s advice is often not very motivating so it is bound to fail when they don’t follow through on it. (And then they may blame the advice-giver.) However, if through questioning and coach-guided pondering, they come up with the answers on their own, they will be more inspired to follow through on what they’ve come up with.<br />
<br />
The exact same reasoning applies to your employees. Too many managers believe that being a strong leader means knowing the answer. Leaders think that is what they are there for, to provide solutions. They jump in with the answers when their employees come to them for help. Unfortunately, by providing the answers, they are keeping their employees from developing, and therefore keeping their organization from developing healthily too.<br />
<br />
Providing answers trains your employees not to think or be creative. It trains them to stay dependent and when people feel dependent, they feel held back, repressed, and powerless. Sounds like a mix that generates low morale and low motivation, doesn’t it?<br />
<br />
A client recently told me that one of the most significant behavior changes he made as a result of coaching was to pause and ask questions of his employees instead of providing answers and advice. Because of this one conscious change, he said it has allowed him to be more transparent, sharing what he doesn’t know or understand, and has allowed him to learn about new issues. “If I slow down,” he said, “I can get some meaningful responses. Sometimes it validates what I already know, but it really helps me get buy-in. Before, I would just tell them. Now, I listen first and talk second. I am less of a policeman, less of a controller; I just let things happen more and don’t try to control them. I am more into the moment - building dialogue and connections."<br />
<br />
Wow – building dialogue and connections. What a great way to develop and motivate his staff.<br />
<br />
One thing that works for every person whether they are manager or individual contributor, parent or friend, is listening first, asking questions second, and offering advice as a last resort, if at all. Think about how much advice people give you. How much of it do you actually take? What if, instead of offering you advice on what to do in a situation, they walked you through thinking through the problem to find a solution? What if they asked questions like:<br />
<br />
What outcome do you really want? <br />
<br />
What do you need to do to take the next step? <br />
<br />
Would it help if I acted as your sounding board as you went through possible next steps and their scenarios?<br />
<br />
What resources do you have right now that can help you with taking the next step?<br />
<br />
What is in your way that is impeding your progress?<br />
<br />
How would achieving your goal affect you and the people around you?<br />
<br />
Questions like these help the listener focus on the solution instead of the problem. They help the other person develop their own problem-solving skills and determine and commit to next steps without getting overwhelmed. <br />
<br />
Sometimes people come to you with a problem and they don’t want your advice or to be walked through to a solution on their own. They really already know the answer; they know what they have to do. But they just want to vent. That’s okay. You may need to ask: ”Do you want to talk through a solution to this or do you just want to vent?” If it’s vent, let them complain for a few minutes. Everyone needs to let off steam once in a while. The best bosses allow their employees to come into their offices just to vent for 3 minutes. That’s enough. Let them know they can come in to let off steam with no repercussions any time. Empathize, then send them on their way.<br />
<br />
Leaders have to realize that employees, especially younger ones, probably need to be retrained in order to think for themselves. For their whole lives, from childhood through college, their parents and their teachers have told them what they should be doing. Rarely do parents and teachers teach them how to think for themselves, as students are rewarded for the “right answers” and kids are rewarded for “minding”. Now they are employees and you, their manager, are just like their parent or teacher. They want to please you so they want to do what you want them to do. <br />
<br />
What you want them to do is think for themselves, be creative, and be solution-oriented. Listening to them, asking them questions, and coaching them will help them become motivated and productive knowledge workers. <br />
<br />
So next time someone comes up to you with a problem, resist the initial urge to give them advice. Pause and ask a question. “What do you think? What do you want the end result of this situation to be? What can be done to get there? How does that work?” Give your employees their own power back. They hold the best answers to their own problems. <br />
<object height="288" width="512"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/UQWGB2AqbapDkqN5FNtkBQ"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/UQWGB2AqbapDkqN5FNtkBQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="288" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object><br />
<br />
</div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-20100866289211589232011-07-20T15:46:00.000-07:002011-07-26T09:48:55.513-07:00Setting Clear Expectations Prevents Fly-By's<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOeBLrV7bwA6Tam5769vT95dwuDgX5F9L9A6ExwTB8WoTDbR4YxxH7Zui_b82ZvQENrorL5Tn299qY7TU7X-DeFVr2Vt9TJuJDaxmAlaoce-dGeBUjkV-YX-AmjdwqwhdbknXQTO2zvBUu/s1600/Summerland.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOeBLrV7bwA6Tam5769vT95dwuDgX5F9L9A6ExwTB8WoTDbR4YxxH7Zui_b82ZvQENrorL5Tn299qY7TU7X-DeFVr2Vt9TJuJDaxmAlaoce-dGeBUjkV-YX-AmjdwqwhdbknXQTO2zvBUu/s320/Summerland.png" width="320" /></a>The other day before leaving for a hike I asked my boyfriend if he had his water bottles with him. He said “Yes, I have my water bottle.” I said “No, water bottle<em>sssss</em>. Plural. Do you have them with you?” “Yes”, he said.<br />
<br />
<div> </div>We drove for a couple hours to the Summerland trailhead in Mt. Rainier National Park. We laced up our hiking boots, and I swung on my daypack. He fished a bottle out of his car trunk and stuck it in his pack. “Where’s your other bottle?” I asked. “It’s in the back seat, but it’s empty.”<br />
<br />
<div> </div>Now, did I make a point of asking him if he had more than one water bottle before we left the house? Yes.<br />
Did I ask him if he had filled both water bottles? No.<br />
Stupid me. I thought it was understood that water bottles would be filled with water before an 11-mile hike up the side of Mt Rainier. <br />
<br />
<div> </div>I had two full bottles of water. He had – one half a bottle. Yes, that’s right, the bottle he stuck in his pack was only half full. It had been sitting in his car for a month. Before we left the house he had not bothered to bring his bottles in and fill them. Apparently, it was too much trouble to wait for my Brita pitcher to refill after I had emptied it into my water bottles. On the Summerland trail, there is a bubbling creek, Panhandle Creek. His solution was “I’ll get some creek water and boil it for tea.” <br />
<br />
<div> </div>I was livid. “You can’t drink that on the trail! I’m tired of holding back on my water intake! The last 5 or 6 hikes we’ve been on you haven’t brought enough water and I feel like I have to ration myself! And so do you! Why do you think I asked you specifically if you had water bottles with you???!!!”<br />
<br />
<div> </div>He was extremely apologetic and for the rest of the hike made a point of thanking me every time I offered him a drink from one of my bottles. (Making me feel small and mean, especially when I had water left over at the end of the hike.) Since then, he's always brought his own two full bottles of water on our hikes. He learns quickly. Plus he’s the best man I know.<br />
<br />
<div> </div>So did we have a “fly-by”? Was that “unclear expectations”? Or was he just not listening to me? This last possibility was the one that made me the angriest. The first two possibilities implied that I was partly to blame too, which I really didn’t like to consider.<br />
<br />
<div> </div>But, hard as it is, I have to admit: I didn’t make my expectations clear. He answered my question truthfully: yes, he did have two water bottles. I didn’t explicitly state that I expected them to be full of water. Difficult as it may be to understand how my question could have been misinterpreted, this kind of thing happens all the time. <br />
<br />
<div> </div>What’s obvious to you is obvious to you. You know what they say about making assumptions. You may not have the best man like I do, who takes the blame, accepts the feedback, and says “You’re such an amateur when it comes to getting mad.” <br />
<br />
<div> </div>So be proactive: be clear. Get confirmation that what you are expecting to happen is understood the way you understand it. Make your expectations crystal clear. <br />
<br />
<div> </div>Without expectations that are understood and bought into there is no basis for coaching. No basis for asking for accountability. And certainly no basis for blame, recriminations or punishment. <br />
<br />
<div> </div>It is the team leader’s responsibility to set clear expectations and ensure that they are understood. And it is the team leader’s and the organization’s responsibility to provide the resources, training and support needed to carry out those expectations.<br />
<br />
<div> </div>Here are <a href="http://www.effectivenessinstitute.com/">Effectiveness Institute’s</a> steps for setting clear expectations:<br />
<br />
<div> </div>Clear Expectations…<br />
<br />
<div> </div>1. Are understood<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">• Tell the why, what, how, when, where and who</div><div style="text-align: left;">• Clarify the discrepancy between what there is now and what is wanted.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<div> </div></div>(I should have done this at the house. “Do you have two full water bottles? The last few hikes I felt I was rationing water so I want to make sure we each have enough. This is going to be a fairly long hike and it’s important to be well-hydrated. Ten essentials and all that, you know.”)<br />
<br />
<div> </div>2. Are specific and concrete.<br />
• Isolate the desired behavior and results.<br />
• Clarify the measurement.<br />
• Establish time frame.<br />
<br />
<div> </div>(“Let’s fill up all four water bottles right now before we go.”)<br />
<br />
<div> </div>3. Are realistic.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">a. Provide a challenge</div><div style="text-align: left;">b. Can be achieved</div><div style="text-align: left;">c. Are within the control of the employee</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div>(“I know you have to go get them out of the car and wait till the Brita refills. Kind of a drag, but we have time. Or, you can just fill them up with tap water.”)<br />
<br />
<div> </div>4. Are confirmed.<br />
• Ask the individual to verbalize what he or she understands the expectation to be.<br />
<br />
<div> </div>(“I want to make sure we don’t have any fly-by’s. I want us each to have two full bottles of water for the hike. Are you with me?”)<br />
<br />
<div> </div>As a trainer and consultant, I know how important it is to explain the “why” behind an expectation or request. I do it at work. I explain to clients how to do it, and of course, why to do it.<br />
<br />
<div> </div>Yet, here in my personal life a simple why up front could have prevented a whole lot of grief, mainly my own!<br />
<br />
<div> </div>Why was I asking if Bart had more than one water bottle?<br />
<br />
<div> </div>Only I knew. If I had cared to make the effort to share why, I’m sure Bart would have gone the extra few steps to fill his bottles. The same rationale applies to your employees. For a more productive and happier workplace, don’t forget the 4 steps.<br />
<object height="288" width="512"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/usZ6uo6IHxSPkDocH2nrwg"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/usZ6uo6IHxSPkDocH2nrwg" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="288" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object><br />
Huh?<br />
<br />
<div> </div><br />
<div> </div><br />
<div> </div><br />
<div> </div></div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-42183991895391453412011-07-13T15:15:00.000-07:002011-07-13T15:18:16.977-07:00Got Vision?<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl81J5T5axd_MvD0eUHnim8pIu3nsuADzYKT6aCiPkAEItIoCAmvbYzwDU4FvjY0HqKJNaqXBiMZAN-f3wkvsUx1QJOaq-_he1DW0XjDt2gTupqqLa-D46gjjdv79p8_jwxiw0LIWFbzcV/s1600/Vision.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl81J5T5axd_MvD0eUHnim8pIu3nsuADzYKT6aCiPkAEItIoCAmvbYzwDU4FvjY0HqKJNaqXBiMZAN-f3wkvsUx1QJOaq-_he1DW0XjDt2gTupqqLa-D46gjjdv79p8_jwxiw0LIWFbzcV/s1600/Vision.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl81J5T5axd_MvD0eUHnim8pIu3nsuADzYKT6aCiPkAEItIoCAmvbYzwDU4FvjY0HqKJNaqXBiMZAN-f3wkvsUx1QJOaq-_he1DW0XjDt2gTupqqLa-D46gjjdv79p8_jwxiw0LIWFbzcV/s320/Vision.jpg" width="320" /></a><em>“Most leaders undercommunicate their vision by a factor of 10 (or more)…” </em><br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><em> -</em>John Kotter, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Leading-Change-John-P-Kotter/dp/0875847471?ie=UTF8&tag=managerevolut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><em>Leading Change</em></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=managerevolut-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0875847471" style="border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" /></div><br />
“He lacks vision,” said the Vice President of Organizational Development. I had just asked him if there was anything in particular that he thought my new coachee needed coaching on. Hmmm, I thought. Coaching a leader to “get vision” is like teaching a rhythmically challenged person to dance. It’s certainly possible, but they will never be a natural. It will always take a lot of concentration and conscious effort. <br />
<br />
Being forward-looking is an essential leadership quality. Your leadership position is an indication of how far ahead you need to look. The more strategic your role, the further out you should be looking. All leaders should develop their abilities to look forward a minimum of five to seven years. For senior leaders, it should be at least ten years. Leaders responsible for large organizations need to be able to envision twenty years and beyond.<br />
<br />
If you have vision, you can create <em>a</em> vision. According to John Kotter and Kouzes and Posner of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Challenge-4th-James-Kouzes/dp/0787984922?ie=UTF8&tag=managerevolut-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><em>The Leadership Challenge</em>,</a> “one of the most important practices of leadership is giving life and work a sense of meaning and purpose by offering an exciting vision”.<br />
<br />
Without holding a strong vision and communicating it, a leader ends up expending energy prodding people forward instead of inspiring them. Without a vision, employees don’t have a guiding light, and like a boat without a star or lighthouse to guide it, they are bound to meander into undesirable waters, wasting more time, making more errors, and feeling more frustrated, than is necessary.<br />
<br />
Coming up with a vision involves asking important questions such as <em>what does my ideal organization look like? What are we passionate about? What do we want to create? What legacy do we want to leave; what impact do we want to have on our customers and our community?</em><br />
<br />
It takes time and thought to create an exciting vision, and no doubt you will continue to fine-tune it often. But once you have it, don’t keep it to yourself. Learn how to convey your vision in stories, in verbal images, and for sure, in graphic images too. Invite conversations about the vision. Find new ways to communicate it. Get others talking about it. <br />
<br />
If you think vision is not a strength of yours, you can exercise your vision muscles. Ponder others’ visions, study visionary leaders, keep informed about future trends. Develop a vision for yourself personally, and for your family. If your organization already has a vision, figure out ways to engage your employees so that they are truly inspired by it. Show your employees how their individual work connects directly to the vision. Mention it often.<br />
<br />
Speak from your heart, and spark imaginations with your stories and emotions. Sharing a vision engagingly and often is one of the most fun things a leader has to do. Don’t miss out! <br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Kza-iTe2100?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Kza-iTe2100?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-32731809133940357312011-07-07T13:34:00.000-07:002011-07-12T15:44:20.487-07:00The Ten Essentials for a New Career<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HTYJVrqTakIKOSPiVpY4FKOhRcxlgd7O5rqtJmfalJsmS7vfJH48taoLzwa7Ic2uG1HH5Kkv55rp5iHi2GbNLUpgEumo_AEu0FKXSKXTwDmYEOQtsjRP2_QMCMBQmDDCQstbDxomPhaF/s1600/10+essentials.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HTYJVrqTakIKOSPiVpY4FKOhRcxlgd7O5rqtJmfalJsmS7vfJH48taoLzwa7Ic2uG1HH5Kkv55rp5iHi2GbNLUpgEumo_AEu0FKXSKXTwDmYEOQtsjRP2_QMCMBQmDDCQstbDxomPhaF/s400/10+essentials.jpg" width="293" /></a>Not feeling fulfilled at work? Tired of the day-to-day grind? Ever dream about owning your own business or “following your passion”?<br />
<br />
If you think you want a new career, it’s time to do some serious preparation. As an “outdoor enthusiast” (thank you, REI Marketing) and former REI employee, I am very familiar with the <a href="http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/ten+essentials.html">Ten Essentials</a> - a list of essential items recommended for outdoor safety in the backcountry. As a career coach and a career changer myself, I have taken the liberty to compile my own list of Ten Essentials for embarking on a new career.<br />
<br />
Now, sometimes people are forced to change their career whether they want to or not. Just ask anyone who has spent their life devoted to the newspaper business how they feel about changing their career. I had several ex-newspaper clients who had a tough time with the process. They were traumatized and understandably so after spending a lifetime – many of them twenty or thirty years – in a profession they loved and then being forced to find a new way to make a living.<br />
<br />
Whether you choose it or not, a career change is an adventure and like all adventures, you want to be as well-prepared - physically, mentally and emotionally - as you can be. In these examples of famous career switchers see if you can find some common themes that may give you some tips for successfully changing your own career:<br />
<br />
Alton Brown, the Food Network host of <em>Good Eats</em> and <em>Iron Chef America</em> and creator of two food mini-series, has received numerous awards and recognition as a food guru. Brown started out his career behind the camera as a cinematographer. He decided he could do a better job than the cooking show chefs he was filming. He enrolled in cooking school and at age 35 graduated from the New England Culinary Institute. A year later, no doubt building on his connections in the TV world, Brown aired his pilot show for <em>Good Eats</em> on PBS. It was picked up the next year by Food Network and continues to air today. <br />
<br />
Bill Gates founded and led Microsoft full-time until 2006, when he began transitioning into working at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2008, at age 52, Gates began working full-time as a philanthropist devoted to health and education research, quite a change from computers and software development. Gates, an avid reader, studied philanthropists and schooled himself on issues such as third world health challenges, taking advantage of his access to those most knowledgeable in the world on the topics.<br />
<br />
French artist Paul Gauguin initially worked as a stockbroker. He spent his free time painting, visiting art galleries, purchasing art, and befriending other artists such as Paul Cezanne. At age 37, he decided to follow his passion and began to paint full time. Although his career change broke up his marriage, he ended up becoming a leading post-Impressionist artist. <br />
<br />
Famous career changer Martha Stewart was also a stockbroker. However Martha started out as a model, and became a broker at age 26. Growing up, Stewart learned cooking, sewing and canning from her parents and grandparents. She found she had a knack for domestic arts and at age 35 she began a catering business with a friend from her modeling days. Martha was contracted to cater a book release party by her husband who was president of the publishing company. At the party, Martha met the head of Crown Publishing, who was impressed with her talents and asked her to create a book, <em>Entertaining</em>. <em>Entertaining</em> was released in 1982 and became a New York Times bestseller. Stewart was contracted to produce many more books and her career blossomed from there. <br />
<br />
A few others:<br />
<br />
Championship heavyweight boxer Jack Dempsey started a restaurant at age 40. A celebrity attraction, Jack Dempsey's Broadway Restaurant in New York City stayed open for nearly 40 years.<br />
<br />
Josie Natori worked at Merrill Lynch, where she rose the ranks to become the first female vice president in investment banking. After about ten years as an investment banker, Natori changed her career to fashion and in 1977 founded the Natori Company in her living room. Today, the Natori Company sells upscale fashions, home furnishings and perfume to department stores in at least sixteen countries.<br />
<br />
Greg Mortenson was a nurse with a passion for mountain climbing when in his late 30’s he started raising money to build a school in Pakistan. Mortenson is now founder and executive director of the non-profit Central Asia Institute, as well as a writer and speaker.<br />
<br />
These are just a few of the <em>famous </em>career changers. There are thousands more, but just looking at these examples, there are some similarities which are important to take note of:<br />
<br />
• They each had a cushion of money to start with. And if they didn’t (like Greg Mortenson), they were adept at raising it. Because it takes time to get established in a new career - and often you are starting at the bottom - you need to have the financial wherewithal to sustain you for a couple of years at least. You may need money to take classes to gain skills or certifications. It’s important to do some financial planning before making the switch.<br />
<br />
• They each used their connections to help launch and sustain them in their new career. Jack Dempsey, for example, was not known as a great cook. But he did pal around with a lot of celebrities, who all wanted to be seen at his Times Square restaurant.<br />
<br />
• They each did what it took to gain the skills and knowledge required to be successful in their new career including going back to school, taking classes and finding mentors. Besides studying third world diseases and education, Bill Gates read up on philanthropists such as Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller and used their work as benchmarks for his own organization.<br />
<br />
• They each made a commitment to stick to it, and that wasn’t difficult because their new careers consumed their interests, made good use of their natural talents, and inspired them. Josie Natori was so impassioned with being an entrepreneur that she tried other ventures such as owning a McDonald’s franchise and reproducing antiques before she found the perfect business for her.<br />
<br />
• They each took a while to transition to their new career, usually a few years.<br />
<br />
And now, what you’ve been waiting for, the Ten Essentials for embarking on a new career:<br />
<br />
1. Guts<br />
2. Persistence<br />
3. Self-Discipline<br />
4. Patience<br />
5. Humility<br />
6. Hard Work<br />
7. Planning<br />
8. Financial cushion<br />
9. Connections<br />
10. The right skills and knowledge necessary for your chosen career.<br />
<br />
Do you have anything to add? If you’ve changed your career, let me know what you think of my list.<br />
<br />
The process of changing your career should be something you are looking forward to doing almost as much as the actual new career. To a mountain climber, the hard work and focus of the climb itself is what creates the sense of fulfillment. And like a mountain climber, when you have become successful in your new career, you’ll have accomplished quite a feat, one I think comparable to summiting a challenging mountaintop. If you’re well-prepared for that climb – with my handy Ten Essentials as your checklist – you’ll be able to handle any 'rough weather' along the way. <br />
<object data="http://movieclips.com/e/3ewk/0/133.213/" height="304" style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0); display: block; overflow: hidden;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560"> <param name="movie" value="http://movieclips.com/e/3ewk/0/133.213/" /><param name=FlashVars VALUE="autoPlay=false"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://movieclips.com/e/3ewk/0/133.213/" FlashVars="autoPlay=false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" movie="http://movieclips.com/e/3ewk/0/133.213/" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" ></embed> </object> <br />
<div style="-moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 4px; -moz-border-radius-bottomright: 4px; -webkit-border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; -webkit-border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; background: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-left-radius: 4px; border-bottom-right-radius: 4px; height: 27px; line-height: 11px; margin: 0px; padding: 1px 0px 0px; text-align: center; width: 560px;"><a href="http://movieclips.com/3ewk-being-john-malkovich-movie-john-malkovich-becomes-a-puppeteer/" style="color: #00aeff; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">John Malkovich Becomes a Puppeteer</a><br />
<a href="http://movieclips.com/XwmxM-being-john-malkovich-movie-videos/" style="color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Being John Malkovich</a> <a href="http://movieclips.com/" style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">at MOVIECLIPS.com</a></div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5203896616283986213.post-16399120372449978132011-06-30T15:48:00.000-07:002011-06-30T15:48:00.860-07:00Can You Take the Feedback?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjel1mw3YF9_5r-41Ezg4rg0uFgOS_18DbaLgG_UrjsSVIYw4FRXScld7aUrIpglTzBWjqxPudUnuYRowFSX6cGzi51S5ldJKKIgAswkKngoLUIu8dIHMOQ6Sd1oLz-5EhnvRQ4VMeepMHI/s1600/i-love-feedback.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjel1mw3YF9_5r-41Ezg4rg0uFgOS_18DbaLgG_UrjsSVIYw4FRXScld7aUrIpglTzBWjqxPudUnuYRowFSX6cGzi51S5ldJKKIgAswkKngoLUIu8dIHMOQ6Sd1oLz-5EhnvRQ4VMeepMHI/s320/i-love-feedback.png" width="247" /></a>In my blog articles I often suggest that a 360 degree assessment is important in order for personal and professional development. For those who are not familiar with a 360, it is a confidential questionnaire sent to a leader’s direct reports, colleagues, boss, and customers that rates the individual on a series of behaviors, skills and attitudes that are deemed important for success in their leadership role. It helps one identify blind spots and strengths and is a benchmark for professional development. I use the tool extensively in my coaching practice.</div><br />
If you don’t want to hear feedback though, then a 360 is useless. And it is surprising to know how many leaders do not want to hear feedback. I had one President and company owner tell me forthrightly “I don’t like feedback” when I asked him if he would do a 360. (He didn’t do one.) I’ve also had clients who agreed to the 360 but then dismissed the results with such statements as “They don’t know me very well”, and “I know who said that and they are referring to an isolated incident.” <br />
<br />
I have to caution my clients not to try to guess who said what, because invariably they are wrong, and due to confidentiality, I can’t tell them that. I just tell them a story about a VP who was upset about some negative feedback and was certain she knew who it was from. She stormed into her colleague’s office, slammed down the 360 report, and said “I need to talk to you about this.” The other vice president sheepishly looked up at her, reached into his in-box, and pulled out the questionnaire. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to it”, he said. <br />
<br />
In one of my volunteer roles I work for someone who hates to receive feedback. Twice in ten years she has asked for written feedback via anonymous questionnaires. I collected the questionnaires and before I gave them to her, I read them (since they included feedback for me too). Every single thing written was positive. But because she hates feedback, it took her a few weeks before she could bring herself to read them, which she finally did only after I told her there was not a single negative comment.<br />
<br />
And that is what you will often find, just as my clients do who submit to my 360’s – they get a lot of positive feedback. Sometimes it is surprising to them to know that what they do or say is noticed and appreciated. <br />
<br />
As a speaker, trainer, and coach I distribute and read evaluations after every assignment and workshop. Frankly, it is the part of my job I like least. I always take a big breath before reading them, steeling myself for something terrible. Luckily, my dread is usually replaced by relief and a justification that yes, I am in the right job doing good stuff. Once in a while, though, I find myself rationalizing poor feedback – “That person is just not happy in their job” or “I just can’t satisfy everybody.” But I know that due to feedback I have received I have been able to improve my work.<br />
<br />
Recently I spoke with a friend who ventured into a new career role as a publicist. She had just finished working with her first client, who, she said, rarely took her advice on things he could do himself to increase his visibility. As a result of course, he didn’t get quite the level of recognition he was expecting. <br />
<br />
So if you do ask for feedback or advice be prepared to take action on what you hear. If you don’t ask but get some anyway, then take a hard look at where the advice is coming from. If it is from someone you respect and is experienced in what they are talking about, take the information to heart. It can make a difference in your success.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://managerevolution.blogspot.com/2010/11/model-how-to-ask-for-and-receive.html">In another article I wrote about how to gracefully receive – and ask for – feedback</a>. In this one, I just want to encourage you to ask for feedback. Don’t ask if you aren’t going to act on the information. Don’t ask those who you don’t think will tell you the truth. And don’t ask those who aren’t in a position to know you well enough to give you thoughtful feedback. <br />
<br />
But if you want to be more successful at what you are doing, do ask.<br />
<object height="288" width="512"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/Lu0Cgu-d217YEca87Z9yPw"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/Lu0Cgu-d217YEca87Z9yPw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="288" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object><br />
<br />
</div>Evolve into a revolutionary manager.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16684369886442748973noreply@blogger.com0