| Perfil de SkipRandom Thoughts from a C...Blog |  Herramientas  Ayuda |
|
|
02 octubre Let Your People Learn!I have learned a long time ago that as a manager (or a parent for that matter) you can be overprotective and micromanage trying to ensure that the people you work with don't make mistakes. Especially those mistakes that you have experienced in your lifetime. However, all of your hard work cannot keep mistakes from happening. It is inevitable. By being overprotective and micromanaging you are robbing people of the very thing that keeps mistakes from happening in the future - by learning from your mistakes. If you are going to help people not make mistakes, they need to understand what they did wrong and try to figure out how they will avoid the mistake in the future. They can only truly understand and want to make correction if they experience it firsthand. They may understand that the stove is hot and can hurt you, but to truly value that advice they may need to touch the stove to find out. Despite your best intentions on keeping them away from the stove, they may test your judgment by touching when your back is turned. Then they will know never to do that again. Others may take your advice and never try to touch the stove, but they will always be questioning your judgment. The same goes with management. As a manager, you have learned that there are certain processes and policies that are exist because of past mistakes either learned by yourself or others. These processes and policies were put in place to avoid those mistakes in the future. By how do you know that they are stay relevant over time? Compliance to processes and policies isn’t enough. Just like the stove, the underlying assumptions and judgments that were made need to be challenged When you learned to ride a bike, somebody helped you get the skills down as well as learning how to balance by holding the bike along side of you. That gave you confidence initially. Then the person let go. At first, you failed miserably and perhaps even skinned up a knee. The person can back and gave you some tips and held some more. Then the person let go again. This time you made a little more progress. Eventually, the person helping had to stop helping and let you learn how to ride your bike. Otherwise, if they kept holding the bicycle for you, you would end up relying on them for a long time and it would take you much longer to venture on your own. Both you and the person helping you would be much more frustrated. As a manager, it is important that mistakes are not made so that quality and efficiency are at its peak. However, this can't be accomplished if you are "protecting the stove" too much. Instead, you need to provide the guidance and flexibility to help people "ride the bike". Let them make some mistakes, and then teach them to learn from them. In the end, their skills and appreciation of processes and procedures that are in place will be valued. Those processes and procedures will also be tested to ensure that they are relevant today as they were when they were put into place. 25 septiembre Managing without YOUIf you are a manager, have you ever had the thought when planning a vacation: "How long can they manage without me?" A day? A few days? Over a week? Longer? How you answer that and what happens when you return after a period of time is very telling on how you manage others.
Here's how our department is made up: We have a cross-matrix between projects and functional areas of operation. Within projects, we have a couple of full-time project managers that manage several dedicated project teams. These teams represent not only each functional area of operation within our department, but also other departments. The project managers manage the overall cost, schedule, quality and scope of projects that are assigned to the groups by myself and other departmental managers. If something significant changes in any of these areas, the project managers are to escalate issues to one or more of the departmental managers. If I am not here, these departmental managers will assist in my absence. The other part of the matrix is dedicated teams for each functional area of operation. Roles and responsibilites of each of these areas are clearly understood by each team. They are lead by part-time functional managers who not only help provide direction and esclation but also work along side the others on the team in the same functional role. If something significant changes in each of the areas, the functional managers are to escalate issues to me as their departmental manager. Since these functional areas don't change very much in roles and responsibilities, escalation doesn't really happen. Most of the issues are around projects, so they go to the Project Manager for escalation. So what do I do? Don't you have too many managers, you might ask? I don't think so, because my role is beyond daily operations which is pretty much handled by this group. Each manager is focused on particular functional roles and particular projects. I am the orchestra leader. I am looking at the projects and department as a whole, making sure that cross-project or cross-functional interactions are working smoothly. I also meet with the managers on a weekly basis to make sure that they all are on the same page with me. I also focus on overall improvements to areas that are weaker and work with the appropriate managers and groups in coordinating those efforts. My focus is also on the future direction for the department, where we are going and how to get there. So how long do I think they can manage without me? Given the way I have set things up, I would say a couple of weeks without at least talking with managers to make sure things are going ok. How long was it when I first started managing? I would say only a couple of days at the most without a lot of chaos and work to come back to. I would say that I have made progress! I also have to be comfortable with the fact that people can be trusted to get the job done without me to a certain degree. This is difficult for many managers, as they want to or have to feel like they are the most important and smartest person in the room. For me, I have the confidence that I have my place, while being surrounded by very important and smart people (many much smarter than me!). However, when I am in the office I expect people to come to me when they are having problems or need some direction. I don't want things to take longer than possible. If I am the bottleneck waiting on a decision, I want them to make the decision without me and bring other people into the decision as necessary. However, if they are the bottleneck spending too long making a decision, I expect to be involved to help remove that bottleneck (or escalation to another departmental manager in my absence). 13 septiembre Changes - Resistance is futile
Don't be fooled, though change is necessary it is very difficult. If not planned well, it could cause major disruptions. It is human nature for many to be against change, because it takes us out of our comfort zones. Therefore, you must ease the change carefully and communicate constantly (including listening) to make sure that people can see the value and need for change but also to reduce conflicts and risks through the process. I am a big fan of having "pilot" projects, in which you only impact a subset of people while still maintaining the status quo. This gives you a chance to prove out the change and work through all of the kinks before unleashing it on others. When I was a project manager, it was part of my vocabulary to resist change. To stick on the agreed scope of the project and make assumptions on the unknowns and risks to minimize any chance of change. No matter how much the customer wanted to put something in later in the project, I resisted such requests. Sometimes it worked and the project was kept on task. Most of the time it left the customer feeling very frustrated that they couldn't change their minds. It also ended up require "heroics" by the team to keep things on schedule even though their originial assumption were incorrect and things came up that caught the team by surprise. I knew that resisting change was causing these problems, but didn't know a different way to develop and manage software projects to properly embrace change. It wasn't until I begin to learn and embrace the ideas of agile software development that I saw I wasn't alone in the stuggle and that there was indeed a better way! As a leader, change can come in different forms. People leave companies, with them you lose skills and particularly knowledge that will need to be transferred to others. Sometimes that it is easy, sometimes it requires reorganization. Technologies can change from underneath you. Products can become discontinued, or support become limited because the company has moved to newer technologies. Therefore, the tools you use in your work would need to change. The markets and customers that you serve could change and create whole new markets or different "players" because of mergers and acquistions. Therefore, you might see changes in your products and services that you didn't anticipate. Sticking with the status quo with all of these kinds of changes could not only stop working but could get you quickly off-course. Therefore, if you want things to keep flowing, you got to be one step ahead on where the flow is taking you and make course corrections as needed. Those that can successfully do that, without major impact to the organization, is considered a great leader. 22 agosto Management by Time ShiftsWhen managers are making their decisions, are those decisions based on past performance, current state of things, or future predictions? I would argue that it seems most managers I have met (myself included) seem to migrate towards one of these in their decision making process. Those that focus on past performance want to know what events in the past have caused this issue to occur. They want to know the history. They also look to historical decisions as the template for making decisions now. They truly believe that "if it worked before, it should work again". They also struggle with changing course as they are comfortable with the status quo. "If it worked in the past, it should work now, so don't break it". They believe that even though the times have changed, the issues remain the same, and the decisions they make are tried and true. They don't see the world changing as much as they just see it getting older since we have already learned what we need to know. Those that focus on the current state of things react very differently. They live in the moment. The next phone call becomes the most urgent matter to resolve. They consider things in the past are just that - in the past. Those are over and done with, we are in the here and now. They see the future as something that is highly unpredictable, dynamic and blurry, so they don't see the value of planning too far ahead. "Why put the effort into a plan that will be changing?" is their motto. Their decisions are based on current urgency and quick fixes regardless of their long term impact. They see the world changing so much that it is best to focus on now! Those that focus on future predictions like to plan. The want to get an idea of the vision of the future. With the decisions that they make now, they want to ensure that those decisions impact future decisions in the positive way. Therefore, the quick and dirty fixes are not acceptable as a better solution is to do something now that could be flexible for the future. They know that plans will change, but value having a road map to remind them of what was desired for the future at a particular time. They see the world as what it could become and not necessarily what it is now or what it was before. If you didn't guess it by reading my other posts, I am one of those that focuses on the future. I get frustrated when decisions are made without regard of the future. I also get frustrated when more emphasis isn't put into long-term planning. However, I also find myself making decisions that don't factor in the other things. There are times where I need to consider past performance. There are times where I may need to do something for the here and now regardless of future impact. I can't based every decision I make entirely on the future. Though I believe that managers focus primarily on one of these areas, they need to put themselves in others shoes and see the other perspectives. A successful management team is one that has managers with focus on all three areas. That way, they can ensure that all factors have been considered in making decisions. The history of the past is respected, the urgency of the current is considered, and predicting the future is part of knowing where we are heading. 17 agosto A persistent naturete·na·cious t&-'nA-sh&s Take a look at the picture on the right. Typically, a seed needs a supportive environment to nurture and grow - plenty of rich soil, water, protected from the elements. However, some plants can make it in environments that are contrary to what is typical. These plants are determine to grow regardless of what is thrown at them. They are true to their purpose - to fulfill their job of growing to full capacity. In the book Good to Great, Jim Collins says that true leaders for the organization must hold on to Big Hairy Audacious Goals (or BHAGs for short). Though these goals may never fully be realized (or at least in the initial way that they were intended), it is up to the top leaders of an organization to work towards those goals for the long term viability of the company. While those in the company or outside may think such goals are unrealistic and therefore a waste of time to work on, it is up to the leaders to focus on the "big picture" and show progress towards those goals. Even if that progress is a trickle... As a leader, you need to determine what values and goals you have for yourself and the company you represent. Then, despite all conditions that may be contrary, have a persistent nature and continue to work towards what you value. Just like the plant, if you have tenacity, you will be successful despite what your current environment is. Many times these BHAGs require a huge mindshift for the entire organization to the point where you may be looking at doing business entirely different than you are now. It will be hard for most to see that vision. As a leader, not only must you see that vision of what can become out of what is most important, but you must constantly remind yourself of that. There are goals that I have been working on in my current capacity for several years. It has been a hard road at times. Sometimes much progress is made, sometimes none at all. Sometimes it's two steps forward, one step back. Sometimes it's one step forward, three steps back. Sometimes there is consensus that we are going in the right direction. Sometimes I can feel like I am alone in that belief. People are amazed of why I haven't given up, what I continue to care and push towards these goals that seem so "out there". I do it because it's important to both the company and me as a leader. If I give up, how can I expect anybody else to keep going? If you are going to be a leader, you must have a persistent nature. Despite all obstacles, you must your eyes focused on the goal. That goal? Success! Success for your customers, success for you company, and personal success. Sometimes success comes easy, most of the time it takes hard work. Hard work that can sometimes take time to see results. But, just like the plant in the picture above - one day you will begin to see results. Hold on to those results and don't give up! Be tenacious!! 16 agosto Some Definitions of Leadership
"Leadership is "the behavior of an individual. . . directing the activities of a group toward a shared goal." (Hemphill & Coons, 1957) “The servant-leader is servant first…It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead…” (Greenleaf, 1970) "Leadership is "the influential increment over and above mechanical compliance with the routine directives of the organization." (Katz & Kahn, 1978) "Leadership is "the process of influencing the activities of an organized group toward goal achievement." (Rauch & Behling, 1984) "Leaders are those who consistently make effective contributions to social order and who are expected and perceived to do so." (Hosking, 1988) "Leadership is a process of giving purpose (meaningful direction) to collective effort, and causing willing effort to be expended to achieve purpose." (Jacobs & Jaques, 1990) "Leadership... is the ability to step outside the culture. . . to start evolutionary change processes that are more adaptive." (Schein, 1992) "Leadership is the process of making sense of what people are doing together so that people will understand and be committed." (Drath & Palus, 1994) "Leadership is about articulating visions, embodying values, and creating the environment within which things can be accomplished." (Richards & Engle, 1986) Found at LeadingToday.org through Be Excellent! blog. 14 agosto How do you handle praise (that is...if you receive it)?In every book on management, there seems to be a section on providing positive feedback or praise to individuals or groups that you manage. This is a necessary form of recognition and reward, a "pat on the back", that if done properly (not forced, but genuine) can be a very effective tool to help motivate people. I truly believe that people that I lead need this encouragement often for two reasons: 1) To know that I am paying attention to what they are doing, and 2) That they feel appreciated for their hard work which will encourage them to work hard in the future. I get all of that, and subscribe that this is a vital management tool.
This post isn't about praise that a manager gives to those they manage, it's about managers receiving praise from those that they manage. I know that there are managers that expect and encourage the spotlight to be on them and to get this praise often (even if it is forced). However, I am not one of those managers. Instead, I get the opposite reaction. I get VERY uncomfortable taking credit or accepting positive feedback or praise. I never used to feel this way. Before I got into management, I loved to get positive feedback. I can even get praise from others (such as readers of this blog sending me the kind emails) and feel comfortable and enjoy getting it. I just feel awkward about getting it from those that I work with.
Why do I feel this way? I guess because I don't want the spotlight to be on me. I don't want the focus to be on me. I feel very comfortable for others to pay no attention to the "man behind the curtain". I see myself as just the facilitator, the enabler, the traffic cop. I would be nothing if it weren't for the efforts and skills of those that I manage. I know that I play a part in their success, because they need me (I hope) as much as I need them, and I can give them the direction and guidance they need along the way. When I do get recognition from those on my team, I know I should appreciate it but I don't want to crave or expect it. I also know that my part, while significant at times, is just a small part in the machine. Everybody in the organization is that machine. I just help keep it well maintained. They make the engine work.
So, I'm curious, am I alone in feeling this way? Do other managers avoid praise for the same reasons? Or...should I just get over it and accept it as it is? 28 julio Can you be friends with those that you manage?I have been in management for coming on 8 years. In that period of time, I have asked myself this question repeatedly. What are the benefits of this? What are the consequences? Can friendships be successful in the long run?
I know there are two camps in this area. The first group would tend to believe that it is best to keep the relationships strictly on a business level. Personal relationships should be kept with those away from the workplace. They would believe that managers will not have the proper level of control or authority with people that are friends verses those that are strictly co-workers. They also believe that if the personal relationship falls apart there could be challenges ahead with the working relationship. After all, this is why many organization frown on workplace romances and prohibit them between a manager and somebody they manage.
The other group would tend to believe that the deeper the relationship, the better you will be in your general interaction. If you know a person better, you will work better with that person. You will know what gets him/her upset, what motivates him/her, how to communicate, how to provide criticism, etc. Those in this group would say that in order to have better collaboration in the workplace you need to have some kind of connection at a personal level. This doesn't necessarily mean you are best friends and do things outside of work (though some activities outside of work are encouraged), but that you know how each other stands in the relationship. Things are more transparent in the relationship - no hidden agendas and the ability to speak your mind without remorse.
In the last 8 years, I have gone back and forth between these two camps. I have tried to be very close to everybody. I have also tried to separate myself from the group to a degree. What have a found out? Neither approach works. My mistake was to think that every person responds to friendships in the same way. This is incorrect. I do have friendships with people that I work with and manage. However, I have strictly working relationships with others.
For those that i have friendships with, there has to be a clear understanding of the working relationship and how it differs from the personal relationship. There will not be any favoritism. I will treat them just like I would anybody else. I may ask them to do things that they don't want to do but need to anyways. Both parties have to have the maturity to know that anything that happens in the workplace should not be taken personally. We can really disagree with something in the workplace, but still remain friends despite our differences. Not everybody can do that.
On the other hand, there are those that prefer to keep the relationship strictly business. This is fine, but you still should invest time in the person to really know who they are and not just what title they have and what tasks they are working on. It is always good to observe and figure out how a person works on the inside - what are they feeling, what motivates or demotivates them, what frustrates them, etc.
I don't believe that a manager should distant themselves to a point where they don't care about people and see people only as replacement widgets and taskers. Know your people. Interact with them. Go ahead and makes friends if it naturally happens. You will know when there is genuine friendship and not. Be consistent on how your treat everybody - friends or no friends. Gain mutual trust and respect. If you do these things, you will find better overall synergy within the team and find as a manager that it is much easier to manage. People will come to you with issues, concerns, questions. They will trust that together those things will get resolved.
As a manager, how would you answer this question?
26 julio Unrealistic Optimistic BeliefMarcus Buckingham in his latest book "The One Thing You Need To Know" elaborates about managing strengths that I found fascinating:
He goes on to say that the mediocre's claim to fame is based on self-awareness. If a person realizes who they are with a realistic view of what they are and are not capable of, they will correct their behavior and become a better person. The successful manager will instead focus on self-assurance, even when this self-assurance turns out to be unrealistic. The goal is to create a state of mind in each employee that:
I love this last quote! What this tells me is that my job as manager is not to point out to each employee who they are and what they have been, but who they can become and what they can accomplish. Even to the point of exaggerating that picture into the future. This can apply not only to management but parenthood. What you say can have an impact to the person's (or child's) performance.
For example, if I say to a developer that they are very bad at testing their code and mention that everytime we talk, what is their motivation to become a better tester? While it is true that their weakness may be attributed to skills, it could also be because they have been told that they are bad at it.
On the other hand, if they truly seem to care about quality, you can have this discussion: "I can tell in the time you spend in your code that you really care about what you deliver. Just imagine if what you delivered didn't come back with any complaints or changes. I know that testing takes extra time and you may have had trouble in the past. However, I believe that if you just spend some more time with testing that you will have an awesome level of quality and it will take a lot for others to match it." Now, how do you think that person will respond? If they were weak in that area, they will find ways to become stronger. If they just needed positive reinforcement to motivate them, they got it and are off and running.
If the person truly has weaknesses that cannot be overcome, you will determine that very quickly and can find other ways to work around those weaknesses (such as pairing up the programmer with a good tester in the example above). However, in using this technique you may just as well unlock hidden strengths within a person that just needed to come out. You have to really know the people you are managing and what they are capable of doing, then try to draw out that potential by giving them the unrealistic optimistic belief to overcome their struggles.
24 julio Do you know how others value their jobs?If you are a manager, take the following test. Rank the following 10 items with the most important at top in the way that you believe that people you manage would rank them. Determine what is most important to them.
Next, have the people you manage rank them without knowing what your results are. Compare the lists and see what you get.
Managers that have taken this (myself included) believed their employees would rank the survey as following (with the most important at the top):
However, when employees were given the same survey, their answers followed this pattern:
What does this tell us? While things like wages, promotions, and working conditions have their place, it is even more important that each employee feel that they are making a difference while getting apppreciation and help from their managers. It also shows that managers need to develop their soft skills to work more closely with people - the art of management - vs. those things that don't require as much interaction like wages and work conditions - the science of management. 21 julio Team RebuildingYou know that you need to rebuild your team if the following things are occurring:
What the team needs is a Team Builder! As the leader of the team, it is either your job or you need to find somebody to play that role. So once you have the Team Builder in place, how do you go through the rebuild process?
Get people together with no interruptions - Find a place, preferably offsite, that allows the team to focus on the matter at hand. Have people turn off cell phones. Allow enough time to work through the process. It's best to do it all in one meeting, but if you have to break it up into several smaller meetings, schedule them close together.
Refocus on team goals - Talk about the team's purpose in life. What are the goals of the team? Can we measure them? Does everyone understand them? Make sure everybody can answer these questions before proceeding.
Ask three questions against those goals:
Monitor the progress - It is your responsibility as Team Builder to check on the progress of your team. Are action plans getting done? If not, why and how can you help? Are things improving on the team?
Repeat as necessary - No matter how solid a team can be, things can slip over time. If you see many of the signs above happening, it's time for a "team checkup". Go through this process as needed to ensure that the team is running as well as possible. 12 julio Management and Leadership Fireside ChatsLisa Haneberg from Management Craft has started a series of podcasts with several business leaders and bloggers, many of whom I know personally and read their blogs on a daily basis.
Go to her post called Welcome to my Podcast series: Fireside Chats about Management and Leadership for a list of people she will be talking with. She starts the first series today with Dick Richards from Come Gather Round.
I am also in the process of reading Lisa's latest book called "Focus like a Laser Beam" and hope to do a review soon. Lisa will talk about concepts of her book with each of these people from their perspectives.
Thanks Lisa for what I hope will be an exciting series! 10 julio The lonely side of leadershipRemember those commericals many years ago with the Maytag repair man? At the end of every commerical, there was the Maytag repair man desparately waiting by the phone for a call. The point of the commercials was to indicate that Maytag products were SO good that customers didn't need any help because they didn't have any problems.
Interesting thing about leadership, if you aren't doing things right and people don't have direction, you will be swamped with work and discussions to get them involved. However, if you have empowered people; they know what they are supposed to do; and you have provided plenty of direction and feedback mechanisms, you might end up like the Maytag repair man. By all means, this is a VERY good thing because you have been doing your job correctly, but it can feel as you are not needed and invisible at times ("pay no attention to the man behind the curtain"). For many managers, this can be frustrating and provide a little anxiety because you feel you must be always in the middle of things and be visible in your position. Otherwise, there is a fear that people may assume that because you are out of sight, you aren't working. You have to be VERY secure and confident in your abilities and remind at least those you are accountable to that you are doing your job even if they are just seeing the results of it.
Another thing, when you are in non management roles, you usually have plenty of peers to talk with either with questions, concerns, gripes, venting, etc about the job. You talk with these people because they understand your world, some better than others. As you move into management positions, you don't have as many peers as before. Even if you talk with other managers, your jobs are so specific that there may be many things you don't have in common. In other words, your worlds are different enough. As you move into upper management, you get into a world that can be all your own. Again, you have to be VERY secure and confident in your abilities that you are doing the right things. Other than books, training or other outside mentors or coaches you are pretty much on your own. For some, this can be frustrating and provide a little anxiety as well.
By all means, there are plenty of benefits and good things come out of being in management. But, I don't think people see or are prepared for the lonely "dark side" of management. Why is that? A good leader might tell you but also may forget about it. If you are a good leader, you have the confidence and egoless attitude that these kinds of things don't bother you. You also are smart enough to know that you need to get help from the outside as needed. A bad leader will probably never admit that this happens. If you aren't a good leader, you don't ever want things to go well enough that you aren't needed. As a result, you hold on to things and micromanage people just so you feel better that those watching will think you are doing a good job (where in fact, the opposite is true). Of course, those people will also be the last to admit that they need help because that would indicate a weakness and therefore, they would be afraid to be associated with a weak leader. Unfortuately it's too late, only fixing the weaknesses makes you stronger. Avoiding them doesn't make them go away. 03 julio Is it management or leadership?I sometimes get caught up struggling with the differences between management and leadership. I see that this is a global problem and that many people use the terms interchangably. There is a difference and I think I might have figured out a way to distinguish the two - it's a timing thing!
Leadership focuses on the future. Why are we going and how are you going to get us there? Even part of the name gives it away - you are leading people some place that they haven't been before. You are in the world of learning and growth - training people, using new technologies, strategies and techniques to provide for a better future. If you aren't good at predicting future events and communicating those to people, you probably aren't leadership material.
Management on the other hand focuses on both the past and present. What have we done in the past? Is it working or not? How do we improve it for the current? You are to manage what currently exists as you are in the world of people and processes, and making sure that people understand processes, and that processes make sense for people. You are in the world of standards, making sure that things are done consistently for efficiency and quality sake. If you aren't good at organizing and don't like to dwell on the past or present, chances are you aren't going to be a good manager.
One can be a good leader but a terrible manager and the other way around. Though both are desired from any management position, most people lean towards either management or leadership. As you can tell from my previous posts, I definitely lean towards leadership. I will do what I need to do to play the management role, but I truly enjoy and desire to play the leadership role more often.
29 junio Finding the Sweet Spot in OthersIf you have played golf at all, you may have heard of "the sweet spot". Did you ever just hit the ball and everything seemed to fall into place. You just hit the ball perfectly and it felt almost effortless? If you did, that means that you hit the ball on its sweet spot. I don't know the science of it, but there are actually devices (you probably have seen them in the airline magazines) that will spin your golf balls to determine the location of the sweet spot that you can mark.
However, just identifying the mark isn't enough. It will improve your chance of hitting the ball better, but you still have to hit a good shot. That requires a combination of balance, momentum and timing to go through the mechanics of a good swing in order to hit the ball at the right angle, speed and direction. If you have played golf, you know this is much easier said than done. It takes a lot of discipline, training or coaching, and practice to get to the point of consistency. Then, it requires constant maintenance and tweaking to keep it consistent.
So, what does this have to do with leadership you ask? As a manager, it should be your responsibility to develop people around you in a way that they hit their individual sweet spots and that they hit it consistently. If you do that, you will see success at the department level and will have an impact to the success of the company. There are plenty of theories out there on how to accomplish this (just like the sweet spot identifier device), but it's not enough to know and understand them, you must execute those ideas on a regular basis. This is why many companies struggle with productivity of their people (including myself). It takes a lot of time, patience, and plain hard work to get it right. But, just like those (what seem as rare) times when things just fall together and you hit a fantastic shot and it motivates you to continue playing, same goes with leadership. When you see a person hitting their peak, it is a great thing to witness and you want to continue to see them in that position.
If you have read my other posts, you already know that I am a big fan of Jim Collins and his book Good to Great. There are so many great concepts to learn from that book if you are interesting in making your organization great. He describes one of those concepts:
The essential strategic difference between the good-to-great and comparison companies lay in two fundamental distinctions. First, the good-to-great-companies founded their strategies on deep understanding along three key dimensions. Second, the good-to-great companies translated that understanding into a simple, cystalline concept that guided all their efforts -- hence the term Hedgehog Concept. A Hedgehog Concept is a simple, crystalline concept that flows from deep understanding about the intersection of the folllowing three circles (to read more and see a graphical representation, go here):
This concept shows us the sweet spot for an organization. If an organization focuses are the things that are going to make them money, and that they are capable of being good at, and that can motivate people through their passion -- they will be a great company. As with golf, these are easier said than done otherwise many more companies would be great. It takes the execution and patience through that execution to make it happen.
As leaders of an organization, Jim Collins provides the guidelines to help you focus your initiatives on that sweet spot. But, the same principles can be applied to managers of people. As managers, you want to make sure that every one of your people can hit their peak. You can apply these same three principles to get those results:
Unfortunately, there is no standard answers that will apply to everybody. Each person is unique and you will have different challenges trying to find their sweet spot. For some, they may end up not being right for your department or even the company based on these answers. If so, let them transfer or encourage them to find other opportunities. This is the "hard part" of the manager's job much like the great golfer, yet the rewards are well worth the work. Not only will you have more motivated employees, but you will see great productivity and quality results once you find their "sweet spots" and making sure that they hit that ball consistently! 12 junio My significant life experience (so far)I'll start this post with some quotes from the great book Good to Great. When I first read this, though it was a minor part of the book it personally helped define what I had gone through a few years ago (more on that later...). In talking about leadership that is needed for a Great organization, Jim Collins elaborates on whether or not you can learn to become Level 5 leadership (his definition of that leadership). Here's what he has to say:
Now, I will start out saying that I don't believe I am yet a Level 5 Leader, though I aspire to become one. But, it was encouraging to see there were circumstances that happened to Level 5 leaders that started the process. For me, the process started August 23, 2001, and the events for the next couple of months changed my life forever especially in respect to leadership. But, let's go back a little earlier... I moved into a management position from being one of the developers several years earlier. My manager saw something in me and had the faith in me to give me the opportunity. However, I had NO experience in the position -- I hadn't gone to leadership training, received an MBA, or had prior management experience. I was as raw as they come. My first few years were pretty easy it seemed - no huge challenges and things seemed to come easy. I was about to have my most difficult series of tests as a leader and person. The early part of 2001 was very difficult for our company financially. The bubble had burst with Internet stock, and we saw our 401K and mutual funds disappear before our eyes. Customers of ours decided to wait it out and see if the market rebounded, so they weren't looking to expand their business or spend lots of money on solutions. Thus, our sales dropped to an all-time low in the history of the company. Therefore, our revenue was reduced and we were accumulating big losses every month. Something had to change. We were also in debt so the option of getting more money through loans was not possible. Therefore, expenses had to be cut which meant people. August 23, 2001. Though I have had to fire people that hadn't performed, I had never personally performed a layoff. That day I had to lay off several people. Each one of them was harder than the first. I saw people cry. I saw friendships I had with them suffer. Here were people that wouldn't lose their jobs otherwise having to leave the company immediately. That was the hardest day in my life. But, it wasn't over yet... I received a call just before going to sleep that night from my mom. She was not making any sense. After I calmed her down a bit, she said that she was at the hospital....the rest of the conversation became fuzzy for me except the part that my father had died almost instantly from a massive heart attack. It was beyond belief for me, but I knew I had to travel 2000 miles to be with my family and handle things. Not being able to say goodbye was perhaps the hardest. My dad had been the "Father Knows Best" variety, always trying to give me the advice. I wished I had paid more attention to the advice. I wished that I was allowed one more conversation with him. I was not granted that wish. I had to be strong for my mother and family by handling the funeral arrangements, will, finances, etc. You learn a lot about a person after they die. In the next few days, I learned a lot of great qualities about my father. He was a very giving person. He contributed a lot of money and time towards people. It seemed every person that was there had been personally impacted by my dad's generousity. He affected many lives beyond my own. My dad had always been a role model, but at that moment I started thinking about what people would say about me when I died. Would I have that kind of impact? At that point of time, I realized that not only is life precious and you need to live for the moment, but every moment you should work at making a difference in somebody else's lives. I returned home right after Labor Day. I had not been able to really think about work, but I realized that I had been gone for over a week and was not able to help pick up the pieces from the layoffs. People needed hope more than ever. Rumors were rampant. Fears were escalated. However, hope was going to have to take a bad seat for what was to happen next. I woke up on Sept 11th just like any day. My routine was to get up, have some breakfast, and watch the local news. I turn on the TV and there is some story in New York about a plane hitting a building. At first, they thought it was a small plane that had hit one of the Twin Towers. Then it became bigger than that as you know the rest. I was glued to the TV for the next hour. When the first tower fell, I realized that though my family needed me I also needed to be there for people at work. When I got to work, it felt strange. Nobody of course was working, everybody was in shock. Though most of us didn't know anybody in the Towers, of even in Manhattan, we are felt a personal loss. This loss strangely not only made us stronger as a nation, but really bonded us as a company. Over the next few weeks, we were in the process of healing. However, financially our company was not recovering. The events of Sept 11 and the weeks following caused our sales to essentially stop for a few week. We had very little revenue coming in. Therefore, more cuts were necessary. We had not one, but two layoffs in the next couple of months. My team was reduced by 40%. During those layoffs, it was like I didn't have feelings anymore, I was just going through the motions. All of these events could have destroyed a person. People would have understood if I had sunk into a deep depression or had decided to change jobs or something else in my life. However, I had to make a choice. Either this will destroy my life or make me stronger. I choose the higher but harder path. It would have been much easier to play the victim. I realized at that moment that I was not only responsible for my own life but the lives of others - the people I manage as their "boss" and my family as the "father". Life was not only short, and needed purpose, but was shared with others on a personal level. This was a significant life experience. I don't watch the morning news anymore. I live each day as its own. I focus on a future that brings security, hope, and unity to the people I influence. It isn't about me but us. Some may called that co-dependency, but I call it true leadership. I need them as much as they need me. We have to do it together. I also do more than ever to learn - learn how to be a better person, a better father, a better husband, a better leader, a better decision maker, etc. I can't learn enough it seems. In the end, I want to be known as a great person - not for my ego because I'll be dead anyway, but I want to think that I had changed people's lives for the better and I had truly made the difference. 07 junio Business killers or killer leaders - which do you choose?Over at Slow Leadership, there is a great post this week entitled "Business Killers". Here is the introduction:
An excellent comparison is made between "business killers" and "source of leadership values". Here is each comparison with my own two cents thrown in for good measure:
Read more in this excellent post. 25 mayo A Leadership "Physical"With my mind, am I...
With my ears, am I...
With my eyes, am I...
With my mouth, am I...
With my hands, am I...
With my heart, am I...
With my stomach, am I...
With my legs, am I...
04 mayo The Leadership BarometerAs leaders, we have our individual highs and lows just like the next person. However, as a leader, others are always watching you. What you do during the highs and lows can have an impact to your organization in ways you never imagined. I have learned firsthand how powerful this "leadership barometer" is.
Low pressure = stormy weather ahead. Everybody likes to vent their frustrations every now and then. When I first started in management, I had the tendency to vent about things that I was struggling with -- people or processes. At first, I believe that some of these people probably enjoyed learning more about what happens "behind the curtain". I soon found that through my venting I perhaps wasn't portraying events in a reasonable way. I also saw that people started taking my venting as gospel since they were experiencing things through my eyes. Though I thought I was just being honest with people that I lead, I found that I was starting what is called in some circles a "climate of blame". This starts a downward spiral where morale will slip, people will blame the next person for issues and nobody takes care of business. Trust goes away, and people lose faith in the vision and future of the organization. It can become a miserable place to work at. And it can start by just a little venting from a manager... High pressure = clear and sunny skies to come. Once I realized what I had caused, I knew that I needed to change my actions for others to change theirs. This is MUCH easier said than done, as it takes awhile before your actions can change people's perspections of the truth...especially if those perspection were not their own but came from their manager. What I needed to do was turn the "climate of blame" into a "climate of trust" once again. It all started with something my dad taught me a long time ago, "If you don't have anything good to say about a person or situation, don't say anything at all." I stopped my venting. I focused my talk on progress that has been made. I pointed out good things about people and the actions they were doing. I found my own attitude improving, but even more so, I started to see others became more positive. They trusted me, because I showed trust to others that good things will eventually happen. I didn't sugar coat things either, I just spoke when there were good things to say, and stayed quiet when I didn't feel anything good would come from the conversation.
Look around your organization. What is your current climate?
Either way, I bet you had something to do with it. If the climate isn't what it should be, examine your own words and actions, and CHANGE THEM!
Check your leadership barometer often and make sure it is pointing in the right direction. 03 mayo Be, Know and DoHere's a framework that I have used in the past to help others understand what leaders need to aspire to become. This is a good reminder of things that as a leader I need to be teaching other people so that they can become leaders. It's simple, straightforward, and easy to remember. BE...
KNOW...
DO...
|
|
|
