Prepare Yourself for VUCA Leadership

Business and government leaders in Japan are being tested during the current triple-whammy of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear reactor meltdown.

Leading effectively during a crisis requires strong character, excellent planning, consistent communication, and a cohesive team. It takes the ability to manage one’s own dilemma: how to externally convey peace and calm while internally experiencing a turmoil of emotions that may include horror and despair.

Dilemma management was given an academic focus and an acronym by the US Army War College. The term VUCA was coined to describe the factors of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity which face a leader in today’s combat environment.

The study of VUCA began as part of a military leader’s education but now has crossed over into business, making it an important part of effective strategic management. Any business leader can immediately see how learning how to lead in a VUCA environment is relevant to their situation.

The VUCA framework gives us some direction about the skills needed to lead effectively during times of drastic change.

Volatility can refer not only to unexpected emergencies such as natural disasters, equipment failure, or workplace violence, but also to the economy and the speedy lifecycles of technology. It’s necessary to survey your particular organization and know what factors could disrupt your operations. If you work in a large organization, no doubt you have addressed the issue of business continuity and data recovery. However, it’s been estimated that 40% of small businesses have not. Having the foresight to plan for the worst in every situation is a strategic management skill that is a requirement for effective leaders.

I will never forget experiencing a bomb threat at my workplace, part of a call center and warehouse. The bomb threat was thought to be a direct result of some national media attention my department’s sizable Japanese business had attracted. Although not trained in how to deal with a phone call like that, the receptionist handled it with calm professionalism. Customers never knew what happened, but orders were not received or distributed that day, and hundreds of workers were sent home.

• Does your organization have an emergency action plan and business continuity procedures in place?

• Do you have strategic plans to address future trends that may affect your particular business?

No matter how experts try to predict - the next earthquake, the next invention, the economic recovery – no one really knows. The next great Tokai earthquake is overdue to occur in the Shizuoka prefecture and the Japanese government has been preparing for it since 1978. The great tsunami-generating earthquake of March 11th off the coast of Sendai was not predicted. We need to be able to lead despite uncertainty.

When faced with a volatile situation, list the questions you have. What is known, and what is unknown? Determine the best courses of action to deal with the unknown. Mitigate the uncertainty as much as possible by asking all the questions and collaborating with others to find the answers.

• Do you have a good team in place who asks the difficult and unexpected questions?

• Do you have the ability to listen well?

Every circumstance contains multiple connections and repercussions. The complexity of a situation can be overwhelming. Leaders need to be able to discern and prioritize to make good decisions within the parameters of their knowledge. In order to do this, you must have access to real-time, accurate information and as much expert analysis as possible.

Disaster relief workers in Japan are confounded by the enormity of their task: people need shelter, food, water, warmth, medical care, to find their loved ones, to find their belongings, to be protected from radiation…the list goes on and gets more complex when the challenge of logistics, gasoline and factors we are not even aware of are added. In order to prioritize and give people what they need, leaders need timely access to key information and essential communications.

• What is the state of your communications networks, for both emergencies and non-emergencies?

• Are you receiving the right amount of quality information on a timely basis?

• Do you have people and systems in place that can make effective use of this information?

It can be difficult for people to function in an environment of ambiguity, but that is often a necessity in business and in life. No matter how much we try to put structures, rules, and procedures into place, the world is not black and white. There are always exceptions, and in a VUCA world knowing how to lead people through chaos and ambiguity is an essential skill. Communicate way more than you think you need to in order to manage expectations, calm fears and mitigate rumors.

Most VUCA –type circumstances are not just problems to be solved, but dilemmas that must be prepared for as much as possible, then continuously managed. It can be a taxing job, so incremental successes within the larger situation must be identified, acknowledged, and celebrated.

• Do you communicate to your employees often and in depth?

• Do you have temporary structures and procedures for times of ambiguity and change?

Not surprisingly, the study of VUCA and dilemma management has not yet addressed (as far as I can find) the psychological preparation needed for a leader to manage during VUCA times or how a leader can help their people resume full functioning after a trauma. Here is one resource for the latter.

Volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity at work are becoming more business-as-usual than exceptions. Take advantage of the practical resources which are widely available, such as data recovery systems and emergency action plan templates. And hone your leadership skills so you can manage both the internal and external dilemmas that come your way.

Are You Your Own Worst Oppressor?

Do you have an oppressive work ethic?

Feeling obligated to work extra hours late into the evening and on weekends is not uncommon, especially in young companies or during massive projects. The excitement of being part of something new and larger than ourselves is motivating. Our work ethic kicks in and we do what it takes to get the job done well and be the true professionals we are.

But when is enough enough?

A woman in my exercise class showed up after being away for quite a while. When I asked what had kept her away from a regimen that I know she loves she said, of course, “work”. She works in a rapidly growing company and her boss, the owner of the company, depends on her a lot. Unfortunately, he doesn’t usually acknowledge her dedication. But that week, he finally had extended her some public appreciation.

She said during recent office renovations she had stayed at the office all weekend. Her boss stopped by the office to pick up some athletic gear before going out again and was surprised to see her there. She told him she had to be there to let the workers in and oversee their moving of the equipment. She was surprised that he was surprised, but not surprised that he just took it for granted that she would take care of everything.

That Monday, he recognized her in front of the company at an all hands meeting. She was happy that he had said a few nice words, but frankly, I was thinking, why don’t the employees have a share in this company? She doesn’t get paid extra for those hours, and she is not part owner of the company. If he hadn’t stopped by the office on personal business, the owner would not have realized how much of her own time she put in. Needless to say, she told me that she didn’t expect to continue working there for an extended period. And after we talked, she has started coming back to our exercise class regularly.

I asked her what changed that allowed her to come back to our 6 pm classes. “I just decided to slip out. Someone else can handle anything that comes up", she told me.

Giving herself permission to just leave the office when there is still so much to do is a shift in her attitude that is a direct result of her boss stopping by the office on the weekend and being surprised to see her working. He should have been aware of what she was doing to ensure the entire company would run smoothly come Monday morning. Although she appreciated being appreciated, it also made her realize how much of her life she had devoted to the company without any appreciation.

In my article How to Find More 'You' Time I gave tips on how to lighten your workload. I didn’t address your personal work ethic. I heartily endorse having a healthy work ethic, but not an oppressive one.  Of course there will be times when short term projects keep you working late and on the weekends. The key phrase here is “short term”. Working all hours of the week should not be a regular practice; that is not a “healthy work ethic”.

Work can and should provide a creative and fulfilling outlet. But make sure you also plan for time for yourself, cultivating other interests, and enriching your relationships with your family and friends. Don’t be your own worst oppressor – no one will appreciate that.

How To Prevent Them From Saying "That's Not Fair!"

Last week’s blog posting may have raised a few questions for some people. Isn’t rewarding only some employees showing favoritism? Wouldn’t that foment poor morale and complaints from those who don’t get those extra perks such as more flex time or the coveted office chair?

It might, if you aren’t clear about your expectations, and consistent about asking for accountability and rewarding positive behavior.

What behaviors do you reinforce? Are your employees clear about which behaviors are desirable and which aren’t? Don’t assume they are. The only thing you can assume is what is obvious to you, is obvious to you and not necessarily to anyone else.

I remember a story one client told me about an employee who seemed surprised when he was told his cynical attitude was holding him back. Attitude is not usually a category on a performance evaluation. However, this employee should have been coached and given feedback on the impact his attitude had on his team and his own career.

Regardless of whether a behavior is measured on a performance appraisal, any action that impacts one’s career, their team, the customer, or the organization needs to be commented on. If it positively impacts others, then every team member should know that it is a desired behavior. If it has a negative impact, then the person exhibiting that behavior needs to be taken aside and educated and coached about how to change. It is remarkable how many employees are not aware of the impact of their behavior, so be sure they understand the depth and the extent of it.

In order to ensure that the cries of “unfair!” and “you’re the teacher’s pet!” aren’t heard among your team members, follow these guidelines:

1. Be super-specific about what your expectations are regarding performance and professionalism. Never assume others know what they are.

2. Verbally praise those whose actions and attitudes positively affect the team and the organization. Praise in public, so others know what is valued.

3. Educate and coach your employees about what actions and attitudes negatively affect the team and organization. Ensure they understand the extent of their influence and how others (including themselves) are impacted. Correct individuals in private.

4. Be consistent and timely in asking for accountability, and in providing verbal praise and coaching.

5. Be consistent in rewarding those who exhibit high performance, increased responsibility, and exceptional results.

When someone shows they can take on added responsibility and freedom, you give it to them. If they don’t you don’t. It is just like having children: when they show they are responsible, you can let them stay up later, do more activities, and have more privileges. When employees show they are responsible by performing above expectations consistently, you give them more privileges too. Just make sure you adhere to your own guidelines about what those expectations are, and what privileges go with them. And make sure your employees know that too.

If you do this, you won’t have to contend with grumbling about unfair treatment and favoritism. It will be obvious to all what they have to do to gain more perks and experience “re-recruitment”.

Arrogant Pilot
Top Gunat MOVIECLIPS.com

Top performers know what is expected of them, and everyone should know what it takes to be a top performer, and what the rewards are.

Invest in Your Best: Re-Recruit Your Top Performers

Listening to my friends’ tales of their Valentine’s Days last week reminded me of well, business. Yes, okay, I love my work, but I don’t think of it as a valentine. What I mean is that all the “re-romancing” my lucky girlfriends and I received is somewhat similar to the practice of “re-recruiting”.

In both instances, the object of your attention is reminded of how much they are valued by you. You want to keep them around. You appreciate all they do. You make the effort to give them some attention and maybe a little something so they know that.

Performance reviews are an obvious time to engage in re-recruiting, but any time is a good time to let your key personnel know that you notice all they do and want to reward them for it. Sit down with your top 20% and let them know that you value their talent and contribution and want them to be with the company next year too. Ask, “What will it take for that to happen?”

Re-recruitment doesn’t have to be lavish or expensive. Listening to what your valued employee wants or says “would be nice” and then providing it can make all the difference in the world. Do they complain about their chair? Get them a new one. Do they want more flex time? Authorize that. First of all, you listened. That doesn’t happen enough, and it makes the listened-to feel like they are important and worthy. If you empathize when you listen, you are way ahead . And if you act on what you heard, then you just finished with a gold medal.

Now is the time to re-recruit your standout employees, says Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Motivating Employees For Dummies. "Indispensable workers who helped businesses stay afloat during tough times will have new career options as conditions improve," says Messmer. "Employers need to make retention of top performers a high priority or risk losing these key players and, possibly, their competitive advantage."

"Let your top performers know they have a clear career path within the organization and re-evaluate compensation levels to make sure they're in line with what other firms in your industry are paying for similar positions."

A recent WorldatWork study found that nationally, the top recruiting trend has been the re-recruitment of current employees.

"If you don’t want your top talent walking out the door, be sure to re-recruit and re-engage them now," said Marcia Rhodes, spokesperson for the global HR association. "Compensation is no longer the big draw, total rewards are. By total rewards I mean the deliberate integration of pay, benefits, work-life, recognition and career development to motivate and retain top talent."

Rhodes added that the pay cuts and pay freezes of the past 18 months have left employees demoralized, and many studies indicate that a high percentage of employees plan to look for new jobs once the economy recovers.

Re-recruitment is a necessity if you want to keep your best employees, regardless of the state of the economy.  And letting them know you value them, directly and often, is important.  Don't assume they know. 

The key point to remember is:  Invest in your best!

Tips for Managing Your Narcissistic Boss or Employee

Do you work for a narcissist?

Narcissistic leaders draw attention to themselves. They tend to accomplish a lot, so they are often allowed to stay in their positions. But how they accomplish things can be brutal. And eventually, people have had enough.

The current uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East are supported by people who have finally had enough of their narcissistic leaders. What makes one a narcissist?

From the DSM-IV, the Bible of psychiatric disorders, the Narcissistic Personality Disorder is defined as “a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning in early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five or more of the following…”

There are nine behaviors listed, including “is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love”, “has a sense of entitlement” , “is interpersonally exploitative, i.e. takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends” , “is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her” and “shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes.”

This not only describes leaders such as Qaddafi and Mubarak in the Middle East, but also describes many leaders in business. Do you recognize anyone you know?

If you have a narcissistic boss, you may be expected to work long hours with no recognition that you have any personal life. You will be expected to be brilliant and on top of things at all times, but will get no recognition for your hard work, and indeed, your boss may take the credit. The narcissistic leader abuses power, lacks empathy, and thinks that the rules don’t apply to them. They are special, and you are not and never will be on their level.

Don’t take anything your self-obsessed leader does or says personally. It’s never about you. Keep your conversations about work. You can try to talk to them about how you work best – it may be worth a shot to educate them about specific issues you’d like to see changed. But keep it professional and objective. Complaints won’t get you any headway with a narcissist, and attacking doesn’t help with anyone. If your narcissist is particularly abusive of their power, get out. They won’t change.

If you suspect you have a narcissistic employee, be vigilant. Don’t share personal information. Stay on top of any attempts to discredit you or others, and ask for accountability whenever there is a hint of transgressions. They will need coaching on how to be a team player.

At their core, narcissists feel inadequate. So contrary as it sounds, you can help your narcissistic employee by building their self-esteem: discover their strengths, help them develop them, and congratulate them on their successes.

Narcissists, as long as they are kept reigned in to some extent, can be top producers and valuable assets to an organization. So your narcissistic boss is probably here to stay. And if you have a narcissistic direct report, your leadership skills will be heavily tested. If you can positively manage your narcissist employee while still developing a cohesive, productive team environment, then you will have become an excellent leader.

Warning: foul language! Again.

Meritocracy vs. Cronyism: Coaching the Meritocrat

Most of us would prefer to work in a meritocracy – a place where one is successful because of their talent and ideas are accepted based on their merit.  Realistically, however, the world is not always conducted this way.  People are hired and promoted based on who they know, or as in the case of former US Ambassador Cynthia Stroum, how much money they donate to a political campaign.

Cynthia Stroum, a Seattle philanthropist and investor, was awarded her post as US Ambassador to Luxembourg based on the fact that she raised over $500,000 for Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.  The fact that the President awarded the ambassadorship based on her favorable connections and wealth is not and was never a point of contention. Only 3 of the past 21 ambassadors to Luxembourg have been career diplomats.  Offering an ambassadorship to rich, loyal backers is an accepted practice in the United States.

Cronyism, the opposite of meritocracy, exists everywhere, not just in the highest levels of the US government.  In business, it may be referred to as “the old boys club”.  The emphasis on networking to obtain jobs and key positions acknowledges the fact that who you know can play an equal, and sometimes greater, part in your success than what you know and what you’ve accomplished.

All workplaces are a combination of meritocracy and cronyism, and from what I have seen in my work with a variety of organizations, the emphasis is usually on the side of meritocracy.   Having connections does grease the opening door, and it can be a deciding factor when determining who to hire given a  slew of candidates with similar talents.   But if someone cannot perform up to expected standards,  they usually don’t keep their position, whether or not they have wealth or connections.  Ambassador Stroum turned out to be a power abuser, and recently resigned from her position after an in-depth investigation of her leadership practices.  When diplomats request re-assignment to Iraq and Afghanistan from Luxembourg, it’s one strong indication of poor leadership. 

Beyond getting hired or promoted, maintaining good relationships are essential for getting projects approved and ideas accepted.  Most of us recognize that in order to be effective within an organizational culture we must do a certain amount of strategic networking.  However, a meritocrat does not acknowledge the fact that connections and relationships may come into play.   Meritocrats firmly believe that everyone and everything should be judged solely on their merits.  When their newest great idea gets shot down, they are outraged, affronted or confused.  Life is unfair in their eyes.  Obviously their idea was overlooked by short-sighted, clueless egotists.

Meritocrats, according to James Waldroop and Timothy Butler in their book  The 12 Bad Habits that Hold Good People Back,  are often those who scored well on standardized tests growing up.  They were rewarded for their hard work and intelligence, and expect that obvious exchange to continue throughout their lives. 

If you have a meritocrat on your team (or if you are one)  be aware of how destructive  this can be to their career, and how much it can not only limit their success, but their team’s success.  They may have excellent ideas that will never truly get off the ground unless they learn how to involve others.  Most meritocrats are hard-working, smart employees who want to contribute to the organization.  They need help to do that effectively, and before they self-sabotage.

Another way to look at it is that they haven’t grasped the nuances of their organizational culture.  They need guidance to understand how to get things done and as in any culture, the balance of merit and relationships needs to be taken into account.

As a manager of a meritocrat, coaching is required.  First of all they need to know that you empathize with their position.  Unless they hear something like “It does seem unfair.  Your idea is excellent, and it is a shame others don’t recognize it’s value”, they will not be open to hearing what you have to say next.

And what you say next is critical to them understanding that just having and communicating an excellent idea is not enough.  Do they want to be right, or do they want to be effective?  Do they want to get their own way or do they want to be successful in their project?  Naturally, we all want both, but that is not an option here. 

With questions, move the meritocrat from blaming and righteous indignation to generating ideas to dissolve their roadblocks.  Discuss what and who the obstacles are, and who needs to be involved.  What are the points that can be compromised on and how can the key decision makers be drawn in? 

Once you’ve pulled them into a solution orientation and they are started on an action plan, they will need reinforcement to stay on course.  They are meritocrats so they will fall back on their righteousness again.  Be sure you are there to remind them that what also has merit is rewarding loyalty, friendship and support.  And although that may look like “cronyism”, it is a fact of life. 

How Was Your First Day at Work?

Happy New Year!

Chinese New Year brings a number of good memories for me. One of them involves my best ever first day at work.

I had been hired as an international sales and marketing manager, responsible for the Asia Pacific region. My first day of work was also the first day of the Lunar New Year. The entire international department went out for dim sum.

I absolutely love dim sum, but the experience is even more enriching when you have native Chinese accompanying you. They can order in Chinese, and they actually know what everything is. There were at least two Chinese people in our department, including my boss, who paid for the lunch on the company credit card.

Sweet! It was a comfortable and fun way to get to know my new colleagues. But the fun wasn't over. As the lunch drew to an end, my new boss turned to me. "Sally, most of us are carpooling over to AAA to apply for our international drivers licenses. I need someone to drive my car back to work. Will you do it?"

My boss drove a sleek black Porsche convertible. I had never driven one before. But would I do it? No question. I was flattered that on my first day of work, my boss entrusted me with that responsibility.

As I cruised (carefully!) back to the office after that delicious Chinese feast, I thought I had found the best job ever. I wasn't too far wrong.

I have had many first days and some of them have been surprisingly disappointing. How one is onboarded, starting with the first day - and actually even before, during the interview process - is a key indicator of their future experiences with the organization and the culture within it.

How do you welcome a new employee? What do you want them to experience on their first day? What was your best experience of a first day at work?

What was your worst first day at work?