Investing in Leadership Futures

I want to Fail

 

“Most of life is on-the-job training. Some of the most important things can only be learned in the process of doing them. You do something and you get feedback — about what works and what doesn’t. If you don’t do anything for fear of doing it wrong, poorly, or badly, you never get any feedback, and therefore you never get to improve.”                                     

Jack Canfield “The Success Principles”

There are many books written about winners. People who strive and overcome obstacles, try new things and persist in the face of multiple failures. We put visionaries such as Ford, Edison, Salk on pedestals and celebrate their successes. It is easy to be curious on “why” they were successful. It is easy to celebrate those accomplishments, but taking a look at the whole picture also includes a view into multiple failures and many copies of the t-shirt “been there, done that”.

But what if failing is not for you? What if falling short in a quest is too painful to consider? Well the good news is you can guard yourself against this exposure. Here are some simple tactics you can use so you are less prone to trying something you aren’t good at. Of course the downside is that you will likely not much move much beyond where you are now. To save you effort and possible embarrassment, consider these on your path towards a fail-free life.

Dear Ann

A Letter to My Sister as she Grows as a Leader

Dear Ann,

I hope this finds you well. Congratulations on being selected into the leadership program and being groomed for a management position! You’ll find being exposed to many different people, different challenges, and different groups can be a fun experience. As you grow as a leader you are going to be facing many different challenges. As your older brother please allow me to share a few bits of wisdom I wish someone had told me when I was your age (and still in my twenties).

The Secrets of a Self-Driven Leader

 

A Call to Action for YOU 2.0  

By Dirk Baxter, PhD SPHR

 

Peter Drucker, the landmark leadership thinker once wrote “a decision is only a hope until carrying it out has become somebody’s work assignment and responsibility, with a deadline.” As leaders enter 2012 there will be new challenges and opportunities to become stronger. How do you make the best decision on setting a personal goal? To get started, consider these 5 actions taken by self-driven leaders:

Ripple Effects

 

  "I want to recruit you, and train you, for the Responsibility Revolution. I want to help you feel good about your company and grow more good within it. I want to help you feel more fulfilled by your job, by helping your company to see the value of giving back to the larger world." Tim Sanders – Saving the World at Work

 

Ripples are small waves, and we all make them in life and in work. Though it appears that water is moving, really it is the energy which is moving with very little water transferring.  The technical term is “flexible medium for energy transfer” but I won’t bore you here.

  Doctor Leaders, know thyself to heal thyself

“But who should begin? Who should break this vicious circle? The only possible place to begin is with myself. … Whether all is really lost or not depends entirely on whether or not I am lost.” Vaclav Havel

Vaclav Havel, the former president of the Czech Republic, and one of the greatest icons of the Cold War recently passed away. His story is a hero’s journey and shows his courage and leadership on the level of Nelson Mandela. Vaclav was a young dissident playwright who was imprisoned for his beliefs. Through his self-reflection while in prison, he found the fortitude to continue to write and eventually lead the 10-day Velvet Revolution.

Don’t Change Everything, Start with 1%

Learning today that we will be presenting at a leadership development conference in Argentina in June, 2012, made me immediately think, of course, of a great grilled steak (for which Argentina is famous for).  Our topic? Inviting disruptive change into one’s professional life in the spirit of leadership innovation.  Steak and innovation.  What better chance to share a few coaching lessons learned from my own journey as a novice grillmaster: 

 

Bananas vs. Pintos - Has the pendulum swung too far in mitigating against risk? by Dr. Dirk Baxter

   vs. 

Since 1906 in the United States there has been an interesting transition in perspective worth noting as we move forward into unknown and uncertain times. Business leaders have gone from being coldly calculating; effectively ignoring a business’s responsibility to workers and the public (e.g., made famous in Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle”), through a more balanced approach to doing business, to a current mode that is wrought with figuring out what could possibly go wrong before taking too many steps. This newer mode has leaders deeply evaluating financial risks, far reaching public risks and brand risk in order to mitigate against negative outcomes. Though I am a fan of hedging against the downside, I wonder if the pendulum has swung too far from being blind to black swan events (defined as low probability but high impact events) to being scared of everything?

Polishing the Diamond: How to tell someone to dress more professionally in the workplace

                                        




I was recently assessing a team where the ablest individual had a lot going for him. He parsed data well, he was articulate, he interacted with the group appropriately, and was overall extremely likeable. Unfortunately, he also chose to wear wrinkled pants and an un-ironed shirt to a formal assessment…

4 Legal Leadership Strategies to Build In-house Legal Capability

4 Legal Leadership Strategies to Build In-house Legal Capability by Dirk Baxter, PhD SPHR and Karen Steadman, PhD

Having the right in-house legal counsel team is an increasingly important facet of a successful talent strategy, however it is often neglected.  If your organization’s current state consists of what would be considered the bare minimum [individual PDPs (personal development plans), career planning meetings individually every 6-12 months, and recruiting for technical expertise], you might be in for some bad news.  The complexity of the modern market and political landscape requires a more agile and interpersonally savvy legal team than previous scenarios.  Here are four strategies that legal leadership should incorporate to help increase the team’s capability.

FINDING COMMON GROUND A Call to Action for Leading Gen Y in the Workplace

We are excited to post this article written by Randy Hain, managing partner at Bell Oaks Executive Search www.belloaks.com. Randy Hain and Karen Steadman co-facilitate a course called "Human Capital Strategies" taught through the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business.  Enjoy!

 

FINDING COMMON GROUND
A Call to Action for Leading Gen Y in the Workplace

By Randy Hain, managing partner of Bell Oaks Executive Search

Like many of my fellow business leaders, I do my best to stay current. I embrace social media, read the latest leadership books and stay abreast of trends in the marketplace. And from a workplace perspective, there is one particular conversation topic in full discourse across the country—Generation Y in Corporate America.

What Charlie Sheen’s recent performance should teach us about Talent Risk Mitigation

“The most important decisions that businesspeople make are not what decisions, but who decisions.”  - Jim Collins, “Good to Great”

In the entire Charlie Sheen saga that has been playing out over the past several weeks we really are seeing what can go wrong with mismanagement of top talent who make the company a lot of money.

“All for One, and One for all” - A Musketeer’s Challenge for Team Alignment by Dr. Dirk Baxter and Dr. Karen Steadman

Alexandre Dumas wrote a classic tale on the adventures of d'Artagnan after he leaves home to become a guard of the musketeers. Throughout their adventures, the Musketeers lived by the motto  "all for one, one for all", and this creed was their foundation. Through this value, regardless of trial, they knew they were not alone and were able to focus as a team aligned to their purpose.

Press Release-Keynote Speakers for Consulting Conference-John Byrne, Dan Denison, Chip Conley

LAS VEGAS, NV  – January 24, 2011 – The Society of Consulting Psychology  will hold its Mid Winter Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada to explore how organizational consultants create value for their clients through the use of applied behavioral science in change and learning.  The conference will run from January 27^th thru January 30^th and will be held at the Wynn Las Vegas.

Part II – Always Play your Best Hand – More Leadership Lessons for Raising your Game - Dr. Karen Steadman and Dr. Dirk Baxter

 
Our last article with leadership lessons from the world of poker resonated with so many people (leaders and poker players alike), here are a few more lessons to raise your game at work.  

Always Play your Best Hand: 3 Lessons from Poker for Raising your Leadership Game – Dr. Dirk Baxter and Dr. Karen Steadman

Watching poker tournaments is a fascinating lesson in human behavior.  While new and amateur players believe luck has a lot to do with winning, professionals approach poker exactly the opposite - every hand is an opportunity to play their best.   Every move is a conscious decision including folding when appropriate.  Lucky breaks are capitalized rather than anticipated.  The game is often long, the stakes high, and one cannot afford to drift in and out “hoping” for the best outcome.    In the world of work, many successful leaders have a similar focus – a balance of routine, high engagement levels, and the ability to take calculated risks that are far from haphazard.   Mike Caro, the “Mad Genius” of poker who is not only a professional player, but a behavioralist and casino executive as well, outlines lessons that transcend Texas Hold ‘Em.  Here are a few of our favorites:

Most of Your Profit comes from Borderline Decisions: Most poker winnings (and prevention of loss) come from borderline decisions –

Assessing Leaders Who Might Make Bad Decisions by Dr. Karen Steadman

I have a friend in the mortgage industry who shared the following sentiment with me about refinancing:

“Do not try to use common sense to understand this process, there is none of that in our industry at the moment.  The mantra in our industry is “rules over risk” which means that they are not concerned whether your loan represents a risk or not, it is all about whether we are able to meet the guidelines.”

Rules over risk?  This approach concerns me. 

Assessing Talent in a Tough Economy - article featuring Dr. Karen Steadman

Exciting press for Leadership Futures on the Atlanta Journal website and featured in the print edition today

Assessing Talent in a Tough Economy 

posted July 1 and July 11th, 2010 by Laura Raines for the AJC

 

Many companies have been treading water, struggling to stay afloat in the choppy waters of a tough economy. And their employees are tired, said Karen Steadman, president of Leadership Futures, an Atlanta consulting firm that helps corporations assess, coach and transform their top leaders and teams.

Steadman helps companies identify and develop their high-potential employees.

Reminiscing on Current Times of Unprecedented Challenge - Drs. Karen Steadman and Dirk Baxter

As organizations grapple with economic turmoil, specialty market upheaval, environmental crises and ever-increasing requirements from both consumers and creditors, some leaders may find their focus waning.  If something falls outside of immediate issues, it may fall off altogether.  Other leaders, however, are learning more than they realized possible.  We believe these unprecedented times will provide significant lessons that, if captured and acted upon by leaders, will provide accelerated learning points that are difficult to simulate any other way. 

The Willow and the Oak – Leadership Flexibility Rooted by Strong Systems- Drs. Karen Steadman and Dirk Baxter

 

Since the Chinese outlined talent selection thousands of years ago, the selection and retention of top talent has been extraordinary. Organizations spend billions each year on tests, assessments, and recruitment strategies. Some organizations emphasize technical skill for selection and promotion which, unfortunately, may be a set of infrequently changing variables once beyond entry professional levels....... 

 

The 2nd 90 Days: Now What Do You Do?

If you have started a new role within the past 90 days or so – congratulations!  This is wonderful news!  But, what happens next?   Up to this point, if you’ve read the fantastic book The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins then you’ve focused on what you should accomplish and on how you should accomplish it.  You’ve secured early wins, determined what is important to your boss and organization, gained allies, and maybe even turned around a less than optimal situation.  Great!  However onboarding and transition plans often drop off at this point.  Now what?  Here are a few ways to sustain your success between 90 and 180 days in a new role:

Actively Address Misperceptions – one of my favorite questions of leaders is “what is the biggest misperception about you?”   It is quite telling if 1) they have never thought of the possibility of being misperceived and 2) they haven’t actively sought to find out any perception gaps.   The 2^nd 90 days means that any first impressions will start to take root – good or bad. Enlist others and ask questions to help you close any perception gaps.   

Confront Poor Performance – any poor performers you inherited who remain on your team after 90 days will be directly attributed to you.  Judgments about your tolerance levels start to circulate between 90 and 180 days if they haven’t already.  Be Bold.  Learning to assess well and decide quickly how to handle mediocre and poor performers within the culture of the company is key to your leadership brand. Do not make change hastily, but take the necessary steps to ensure your team’s long term success.

Build Productive Paths – Succeeding for the long term means learning to navigate efficiently vs. solidifying existing silos.  The 2^nd 90 days is about creating relationship capital that noticeably helps get things done rather than hinder progress.  Will you be seen as someone that continues to network and build relationships when your onboarding program ends?

Secure Unexpected Results – the 1^st 90 days is about securing early wins.  The 2^nd 90 days would be easy to rest on one’s laurels but that would be a mistake. Instead, I recommend finding a way to stand out.  You now have license to go above and beyond to produce the unexpected, the “exciting”, the surprise results let the organization know you are someone to listen to for the long term.  These unexpected positive returns  may mean increasing your visibility with the senior team or even making connections in your industry to bring something fresh and new.

Become the Go To Person for Talent Discussions – One of the common mistakes I’ve seen is a new leader who tries so hard to be the “go to” person for technical issues that they miss opportunities to weigh-in on talent or people issues.  You should have an opinion during the talent review even if you have to add caveats that you are newer to the organization.  One client told me “I didn’t speak up because I had only been there for 3 months”.   Well guess what – it was another year before he was asked again.   I suggest being the one who is out in front on these types of opportunities.  

Create Ongoing Feedback Mechanisms – Luckily, many onboarding programs will include a mechanism to provide feedback at about 90 days.   Unfortunately,  this feedback is often static and looked at as a review of the past rather than a baseline to measure performance against in the future.  Take this 1^st feedback very seriously and set another point in time at 180 or 270 days to seek feedback again. This action shows others your “coachability” and commitment to continuous improvement.

Book a Vacation NOW for your 180 Day Anniversary – though not prescripted on most onboarding plans,  I have found that those that prepare for a 3 to 7 day sabbatical at the 180 day mark reap the benefits while those that do not end up being absolutely exhausted very soon thereafter.  The option to succeed is yours:   recharge and absorb what you’ve learned or risk being too tired to sustain your successes. 

What have you experienced during your leadership transitions?

Are you an Optimist? - Karen Steadman

Tomorrow is April 1st.  Every year I look fondly to this day for several reasons, but especially because I believe the day should be deemed "Optimist's Day" (rather than April Fool's Day).  April 1st is the new quarter, almost spring, a new beginning lurking even if your particular situation or location doesn't not necessarily seem like it right now.    My family believed in optimism including values of perseverance during difficult times, realism based on facts, and a mantra of "learn from mistakes to push onward and upward" towards the future.   I am looking at my copy right now of the Optimist Creed given to me by my father years ago which I share here today.  Test yourself - are you an Optimist? 

The Optimist Creed (anonymous)

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all of your friends (and clients! and co-workers! and direct reports!) believe that there is something in them.

To look at the bright side of everything to help make your optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To be cheerful at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

The Power of MicroFeedback - Karen Steadman

My first professional experience with what I now term “MicroFeedback” was approximately 12 years ago when I was asked to take notes in a very important meeting for my boss.  Little did she know she would receive a 10 page record of the conversation as well as my observations of the audience members, their responses to her, her conscious and unconscious changes in behaviors based on reactions and input from the audience.   As an assessor, I tend to take people-watching to the extreme. In this case, the data that came back to my boss that day encouraged her to take her project in a very different direction.  She also promoted me and shifted my time to allow for many more meetings. 

My love of MicroFeedback has only grown.  I often observe my clients in groups as large as an earnings call or as small as a 1:1 simulated event I create to inform areas for growth.   We debrief the wealth of data to help optimize their performance but, interestingly, such hyper-observation is helpful long after we meet about it.  Knowing that I will be asking them for their own report *next time* they are in the same situation has been described many times as if I am “riding around on their shoulder”.   They are more aware, they make their own microadjustments based on inputs, they apply positive changes in behavior and I’m not even in the room.    Wonderful!    Interviews with stakeholders validate the results and people always notice something is different.

This week, I found a great way to challenge myself on the power of MicroFeedback, the BodyBugg.   This gadget is a “personal calorie management system” that uses very sophisticated technology to measure calorie burn.  It feeds into a web-based program that tracks calories burned down to the minute and reports trends over time.   I have the visual display on my wrist so I can tell you in the moment exactly how many calories I burned while kickboxing and compare it to the moment I was watching TV (BIG DIFFERENCE!) With my new Bugg on my left arm, I’ve achieved 2x to 3x the result this week than the 3 weeks prior.  Coincidence?   I doubt it.  I have been able to re-validate for myself the following obvious yet powerful behavioral laws:

• MicroFeedback promotes Instant Adjustments as well as Sustained Changes for “next time” – watching the calorie burned per minute fluctuate during 1 hour of exercise instantly promoted me to adjust my level of effort.  This week, I saw my effort drop off at the end of a class which incented me to pump up my efforts immediately to meet or exceed where I was earlier.    I remembered the point in time for my next class and made sure to NOT let myself drop off at that time.  My results were much higher the 2^nd time because of my sustained effort.
• Observation is Powerful Even When No one is Watching – The Bugg tracks calorie burn but it relies on the person to track how many calories they eat.    However, I dare you to try and eat a piece of chocolate cake with this little gem on your arm!   It doesn’t stop you, see you, or smell the cake but there is that extra incentive to skip it knowing the Bugg is like your coach sitting on your shoulder.
• Without Data, there is often a big difference between Estimated vs. Actual output – The most enlightening information from this week has been the difference between my estimated effort and the actual output.   I took the same yoga class today with the same teacher as I did last week and there was a 175 calorie difference.   I knew I felt more “game on” last week, but I would not have estimated nearly half as much.  There will be no slacking on 2^nd set for me next time. 
• MicroFeedback feeds a Natural Desire to Improve – My executive clients are competitive and so am I. Rather than running around with no end goal, the Bugg program and gadget has helped me set relevant, achievable, positive targets and then provided me the data to reach or exceed them.  The trend lines from day to day show a view of slippage but also clues for how to improve. This experience has been very positive for learning from the past in order to improve the results in the future.
• Informed Stakeholders are Critical to Success – Though the Bugg has been helpful, I do believe my results so far have been enhanced by letting others know what I am trying to accomplish.  I have several comrades in my exercise class who are now tracking my progress.   There is no way I can show up without it now!

Armed with this new validation for instant feedback, does anyone have any creative technology ideas for me to simulate “Coach Karen” who can ride around on someone’s shoulder?

 

Assessing Coachability – Is that Change Agent Ready to Change? by Karen Steadman

“What isn’t working?” I ask the CEO. 

“Max is bright, driven, results-oriented and has excellent ideas so I naturally thought he was ready for the next step.   Unfortunately, I’m finding out he is also intense, very critical of others and, frankly, a pain to work with if he isn’t onboard with an idea.  The feedback from his new peers is horrible and I am worried he won’t be able to affect the change I need going forward.  Can you coach him?  What is the likelihood he will change?”

My answer – “hmmm…….that depends”.    Before moving forward my task is to conduct an assessment of whether Max is a lost cause in his current situation or merely a diamond with a few rough spots.  Then, and only then, will I be able to answer these coaching questions.   Max is expensive if he fails, yet has succeeded in the past and may have the raw materials to succeed here with some coaching.  A potentially worthy coaching cause but also someone who has a reputation for being difficult to work with if he isn’t onboard.   

My follow-up answer - “I can assess him, and then I will recommend next steps”.

Assessing Coachability

My motto is to always assess well rather than coach poorly. The following are the experiences that someone must pass through before I will deem them as fully “coachable”.   Note that I am merely discussing issues of willingness to be coached in this article….issues such as integrity issues are not addressed.    If someone is deemed worthy of intervention by the company than these tests can help make sure I recommend the right intervention.   The tests are in order and each one requires time.  A person as driven as Max is likely to begin changing from the very beginning.   

Test  1 – Level of Engagement

In stage 1, everything that factors into assessing engagement level applies.  Does the person return calls, are they eager to meet you, do they have a lot of questions (a good thing), or are you obviously being treated as a “have-to”.   If someone is skeptical about coaching but actively participating they can score high on engagement level.  However, if the only reason someone meets with me is because their boss said so, they score very low on level of engagement.  

Test  2 – Level of Awareness

In stage 2 I take a deeper look at the feedback someone has received.  How can someone like Max have received such mixed feedback?   My answer is that strengths in one setting easily become strengths overplayed in a different context.  If left unchecked, the leader who is bold suddenly appears “too blunt”, others who are nice are perceived as “not edgy enough”.   For Max, he has perception gaps to address including:

· Too critical - though excellent at sifting through data and making difficult decisions, he is apparently unable to leave his critical thinking behind even when he should. 

· Too intense – Max is driven but lacks savvy to stop fighting the wrong battles. 

· Too competitive – his results-orientation has crossed over into being competitive to the point of excluding others. 

I often review a lot of assessment data in this stage in addition to conducting formal assessments as the majority of people want to make sure I see that they have had good feedback in the past.  To pass the Awareness test, Max needs to acknowledge that there might be opportunities in which he is not currently using his strengths in the right way even though he has been successful with these same strengths in the past.   

Test 3 – Willingness to try New Things

In stage 3 (which may still be in the first meeting) I ask someone to identify one thing that they believe they should change.  This item does not have to be directly from the feedback but should instead be something they really want to change.    I ask them to identify the item, why it is important, and where they will try new behaviors starting immediately.    The goal is twofold:  first, most people like to gain traction immediately, but it also provides me a wealth of information on their willingness to try new things.  Did they choose something important?  Did they choose something from the feedback?  Did they choose something and then not do anything about it?   This is a real-time test of someone’s willingness and ability to change.

To pass the New Things test, Max would need to identify and act on something within a 2 week to 30 day timeframe.   

Test 4  – Willingness to ask for help from Stakeholders ( THE TURNING POINT)

In stage 4, time has passed to gather assessment data and also gather field data on trying the 1 new behavior.    By this time, it is typically a turning point in which people like Max will decide whether to act on their own items or to ask for help with stakeholders.  IMPORTANT:  if a leader does not want to ask for help from stakeholders, they may appear “coachable”, but likely the boss can be that coach.  I will support them for a maximum of 90 days as coaching with an external coach becomes a poor investment in this scenario.  However, if they pass the Stakeholders test, they are typically considered “coachable” for a retained process.  

To truly pass the Stakeholders test, Max would have to be willing to set up feedback mechanisms with stakeholders and ask for ongoing feedback.  For some people, it is too much and we part ways.

Test 5 - Willingness to commit to an Action Plan

For those leaders that have passed through the first 4 stages, the one last test helps me determine if they will be able to sustain their changes for the long term.   I help them gather feedback AND they commit to willingly seek opportunities to solicit ongoing feedback from those that can observe them.  We create an action plan that they sign because it seems so obvious now how to achieve results the right way.   If they pass the Action Plan test that includes feedback mechanisms, I know that there is a very strong chance they will be able to achieve results through coaching.  If they don’t, follow-up meetings are merely accountability meetings and not worthy of a coaching investment.  It would only be going through the motions.

Recommendations to the CEO

My prediction is that Max is a diamond.   He will be a perfect candidate for coaching if he is able to go through the assessment phase and start using his strengths in a different way.  Assess well rather than coach poorly.  We can help if you or someone on your team is a diamond who is:

Too opinionated

Too critical of others

A poor listener

Too blunt and too bold

Too intense

Too “me” focused

Too difficult

Too nice

Not “edgy” enough

Too attached to the details

Too slow to make decisions

Too easy on performance issues

Leadership on the Gridiron - How to build true Bench Strength by Dirk Baxter

 

Definition of Bench strength

· Sports - the quality and number of players available to substitute during a game.

· Business - the competence and number of employees ready to fill (temporarily or permanently) vacant leadership and other positions.  Example - Building an organization's bench strength through management training and stretch assignments.

I love football.  Though I usually stick to college I find that this time of year between regular games and bowl games I also watch professional. Recently, I read in the WSJ about “The NFL Team That Solved December - Chargers' Perennial Late-Season Drive Is Part Luck, Part Design; What Other Coaches Could Learn.”  

 

This article caught my eye because of the obvious ability of the Chargers’ coaches who were working so well with their talent. Proper leveraging of talent will make or break individuals, teams, coaches, and franchises. So why would this particular team do so well when others don’t?

 

One striking philosophical difference is that the Chargers seem to take a full-season approach to winning in December while other teams appear to be uni-dimensional and reactive to winning single games.  For example:

Chargers:

· plan for keeping star players healthy

· continuously making sure newer players are well versed in critical plays

· challenge newer players during the season while resting star players – even when it isn’t necessary

Other Teams

· over-rely on the key players remaining healthy going into the final month

· ratchet up the play book and come up with new plays to confuse the other team

· restrict the play book so less pressure on newer players   

The difference?  Succession planning.  While other teams are hoping for health and searching for the best wrench to throw at the competition, the Chargers always remain focused on overall talent development.

 

Now I have even more reason to watch the Chargers.  They are my poster team for Strategic Talent Management. 

 

What are the downsides?

The question then becomes: What are the costs to this approach? Why don’t other teams and organizations do it?

 

There can be a short term cost to this approach. As mentioned in the article the Chargers don’t win every game, especially at the beginning of the season. Top leadership has to be comfortable with not always having the best player complete every play.  When any organization builds their next generation of leaders a few balls may get dropped, but the payoff is having the strong bench of talent for the long term. Nobody said talent development and succession planning would be easy, but they are critical to actually winning “in December.”

 

Now where is that remote control…

 

Networker ≠ Social Butterfly by Dr. Dirk Baxter

Social Butterfly: a gregarious person who likes to attend parties and other social gatherings.

 

Networker:   someone who creates positive opportunities by building networks of like-minded people. Networking allows one to create mutually beneficial relationships and generate business opportunities at the same time.

 

Everyday there are more and more networking events as people are trying to connect to others in professional settings, find their next position, and drive new business.  Unfortunately, many of my clients have a distasteful picture of the process because they incorrectly equate “networking” with the visual of the Butterfly – flitting from conversation to conversation – collecting cards and names but never resting long enough to solidify the opportunity to truly connect with people.  With this visual in mind, many are turned off completely.  I encourage people to look at the networking process differently as it appears they may have the wrong visual and end game in mind.

 

Here are a few of my “Do’s” and “Don’ts” for optimizing your own networking experience:

 

DO: Ask and REMEMBER who people are and what they do.

The butterfly measures success by the number of meetings. On the contrary, the networker truly seeks to know, understand and remember what that other person does.  Take notes.  You may not have a way to help each other now but the opportunity may present itself later.  Seek to remember.

 

DON’T: Be afraid to take the conversation to a deeper level

A critical error of butterflies is to have brief, superficial conversations.  For example, they may spend precious time to speak to the “important” person in the room (often the guest speaker at an event).  Instead I suggest that you note who goes up and talks to the speaker – and then go introduce yourself to that person. You likely have similar interests – leverage the fact that you just had a shared experience and take the conversation to a deeper level.

 

DO: Talk to people that you do not know

Some butterflies take the same path and repeat the same patterns over and over again. If your goal is merely to socialize at these events, you will lose out as you safely gravitate to people you already know.  The key is to not only meet people, but to meet new people.  I challenge you to push yourself out of your pattern – ask your colleagues to introduce you to people they know or challenge each other to meet new people together.

 

DON’T: Attempt to talk to the entire room

The butterfly wears themselves out searching everywhere for the perfect landing spot. Your goal should be different …be strategic to meet a few people and anchor yourself in a good conversation. This isn’t to say that the effort that you put in pays immediate dividends, but you should be focused in your efforts and set goals before the event.

 

DON’T: Forget to ask for a card & FOLLOW-UP

Butterflies are famous for quickly moving on to the next thing.  Differently for you, plan for the important follow-up. Having a conversation is powerful, but you may be quickly forgotten. Within the next few days invite someone to coffee or at the very least invite them to stay connected with you on LinkedIn.

 

DO: Help others and Pay it forward

Butterflies are social in many ways as they fly in groups, but they are not partners for each other.  The true standard of a good networker is the selfless interest in “paying it forward”.   Think through how you can help other people build their networks and always pay it forward.  

 

Read the Experts - here are my favorite writers who provide great insight into creating your own positive networking experience:

1)    Tim Sanders “Love is the Killer App” – Tim inspires me because he strongly emphasizes helping others as critical to networking. If you help others you actually help yourself.

2)    Simon Vetter “Stand Out” – you have a brand whether you like it or not, Simon outlines how to build your professional brand and most importantly, how to market it.

3)    Harvey Mackay “Dig Your Well before You Are Thirsty” – we all need a hand from time to time. Networking aids us in collecting that critical information BEFORE we need it.

4)   Bob Littell "The Heart and Art of Netweaving" found at www.netweaving.com - I like Bob's points that good things happen to those that make it happen:

a.   Strengthen your relationships with your existing clients, customers and referral sources, especially those who are doing well because of the nature of their business and/or industry

b.   Develop new relationships with potential clients and customers realizing you may not be “selling” them any products or services now

c.    Expand your network of existing and potential referral sources

 

Leadership: Trick or Treat? by Beth A Miller

For all you new leader-managers out there and you know who you are. Until recently, you were performing as a super-star engineer, programmer, scientist, accountant, sales rep, to name a few and then you were offered the opportunity to manage. This step up was what you had been working towards. It is a sign of success not to mention prestige and more money.

 

Now, how long have you been in this new position? How are you feeling about your new role? Is this new opportunity a trick or a treat?

 

And what about those managers who have risen up through the leadership ranks and aren’t new to the game. How are you feeling about your role these days? With all the stress during these economically challenging times, is leadership still fun?  Do you still have the passion?

 

Turning Leadership Tricks into Treats for New Leaders

 

All too often, I am called in to work with a new manager who is having challenges with their new role.  The company leadership had great expectations for their high potential employee who performed miracles as a line employee, yet was not meeting their expectations in their new management role. The struggling manager is often frustrated in their new role and doesn’t know how to make the necessary adjustments to be successful.

 

What now?  If you recognize yourself as one of these managers here are some tips for turning the situation around.

 

1. Review your job description and the skills that are needed to support the job. Determine in your own mind, through self-assessment, which skills are ones that you have had little opportunity to develop before moving into the job. How critical are these skills to your future success as a manager?
2. Prioritize the skills you need to develop. Ask yourself; are these skills I am committed to developing? If they aren’t then you have a tougher question to ask: Do I really want to be a manager-leader moving forward? What am I passionate about at work?
3. If you are committed to developing the necessary skills then sit down with your manager, review your analysis and jointly create a leadership development plan. For some free and low cost resources visit

 

Experienced Leaders Moving from Tricks to Treats

 

All the critical skills for leader-managers are the soft skills, those that relate to interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence. Unlike intelligence, emotional intelligence can be changed.  It is all about choosing how you react in different situations and different types of people. Bottom line leading is all about people.

 

So you’ve been in your management role for a number of years, you enjoy developing teams,  yet often the actions of team members can frustrate you turning your  leadership “treat” into a “trick”.  What steps can you take to decrease the number of “tricks” your employees play on you so that you are increasing the performance of your team to create a higher level of success for all?

 

Coaching Employees to Greater Performance

 

In one word, start coaching employees. Now this is easier said than done and if you haven’t had experience coaching, I recommend getting some training in managerial coaching or reading up on the process and techniques of coaching.  Two good books to start with are: Coaching for Performance by John Whitmore and The Coaching Manager by James M Hunt and Joseph R Weintraub.

 

Once you have the basics down, be very observant during your interactions with team members for those moments when an employee is creating a “trick” versus a “treat”.  The "trick” can take on a number of behaviors such as lack of follow through, poor communications, inability to deal with team conflict etc. Make sure that when the time comes to coach, that the employee being coached is ready to be self-reflective and open to options.

 

Asking open ended questions to get the team member to explore her options and choose her own path of self improvement is the goal.  The hardest part is to listen while she talks it out through your guided questions, and NOT to jump in with your own solution. When you loose patience and give them your solution, there is no learning that takes place, the employee is not as committed to the solution if it was her own, and performance is not improved.

 

Practicing and becoming proficient in coaching your employees will increase your leadership “treat” in the future as there is nothing more rewarding than to see employees reach their full potential. Your passion for leadership will be fulfilled.

 

 

Derailed - new book by my former boss - Dr. Tim Irwin

I am excited that my friend and colleague Tim Irwin is launching his 2nd book on November 3rd - and it could not be any more timely.  Derailed chronicles the collapse of six high-profile CEOs (Robert Nardelli, Carly Fiorina, Durk Jager, Steven Heyer, Frank Raines, Dick Fuld) and the factors that drove their downfalls, finding that derailment actually happens long before the crash and can be avoided. Here is more information about Tim, the book, and the foreward by Patrick Lencioni.

www.DerailedLeader.com

Successful Consensus Building: Modern day Leaders vs. Bees

What do economists, social scientists, money market specialists, management consultants and animal biologists have in common?  They are all searching to understand what makes collective decision-making go right or wrong and advise on ways to more often and more quickly “get it right”.   This recent economic crisis has brought many examples to the forefront where speed, greed, and a lack of inputs produced disastrous results. For a few tips let’s look to emerging research on bees who have apparently been making pretty darn good decisions for about 30 million years.

As a group, bees rarely make mistakes.   On their own they typically don’t survive.    True, they aren’t necessarily tasked with negotiating climate treaties, achieving profitable numbers every quarter or hedging the diminishing sources for oil.  However, expert Tom Seeley, author of soon to be released book Honeybee Democracy (Princeton University Press, 2010), believes their success should not be discounted by modern day leaders.  He has improved his own faculty meetings by studying the behavior of bees stating “We’ve all been in committee meetings where agreement was never reached because nobody would ever give up”.   Apparently, bees know when to fight for a cause and when to let their personal enthusiasm wane to build consensus…..most often for a superb result. 

The following “swarm smarts” I adapted from Seeley's work are helpful for leaders to keep in mind when trying to build consensus and make decisions:

*Avoid groupthink and allow for argument – contrary to popular belief, bees do not just follow each other blindly nor do they follow one opinion (not even the queen’s).   When bees are seeking options they encourage individuals to research on their own, “report freely and argue.”  For example, numerous experienced scouts are encouraged to seek new opportunities and report back many options for all to sift through.   Too often leaders stifle conversation and diversity of opinion because they have already made their decision and are merely going through the motions of listening to options.    This approach may seem like a shorter route but it more often leads to a much worse result including reduced inputs to the leader over time.

*Adapt when needed - when the alarm is sounded bees rapidly shift course by lowering their threshold levels to make a decision and agreeing to reduce deliberation time.  They encourage argument if possible but, when necessary:  stop arguing, rapidly assess what is a “must have” vs. a “nice to have” for the group, and move forward.   They adjust later when they can fully assess the situation and incorporate the learning for next time.   How many leaders wait too long working in the wrong direction and fail to adapt while in search for the perfect solution?

*Know your audience and communicate clearly – The rare time when bees fail is when a “must have” is known but the failed bee does not tailor the message to the audience and is handily ignored.  In one instance cited, the bee dances furiously but others only see noise and frantic action rather than a clear, easily defined recommendation.   Leaders who rant and dramatize rather than present the facts may lose their audience just when they need it the most.  The hive goes in a different direction.

Earlier this year, a special multidisciplinary conference came together to analyze decision making in everything from voting patterns and alliance building in European Parliament to the rapid search capabilities of ants.   I would have loved to be a fly on the wall.

Challenge as a Motivator- When does a Challenge become a De-motivator?

A recent article in Talent Management references a study that challenge is the key motivator for executives and managers. Executives are motivated more by challenge than managers by almost 30 percentile points. And even more interesting was the difference in employee motivators between large and small companies.  Pride in ones job was a motivator for 77% of all employees in companies with less than 1000 employees while in larger companies pride impacted only 43% of employees. http://bit.ly/V1PrH .

This information got me thinking about the implications it has on a company’s leadership development practices.

If the research is true and there is such a wide difference between executives and managers motivated by challenge, when evaluating managers for future executive roles, should you be identifying those who are motivated by challenge? And if so how would you go about evaluating a manager’s motivations?

I also wonder about the word “challenge”.  What is one person’s challenge is another person’s nightmare and thus a recipe for stress and potential failure.  As a leader, how do you know when you are challenging a person versus creating stress and negative implications on an employee?

Profitable Business meets Meaningful Interactions - Tim Sanders is More timely than ever

One of my favorite authors, Tim Sanders, is re-launching his book "Saving the World at Work" - Tim argues (very successfully) that to attract top talent, profitable customers and savvy investors, companies must serve people, communities and the environment.  His report on trends long in the making couldn't be more timely and are evidenced by many recent moves by companies such as Wal-Mart (on supplier accountability) and business thinkers such as Daniel Goleman (on ecological intelligence for companies and leaders) and Andrew Winston (on Green Recovery and competitive differentiation). 

 

Tim Sanders is more timely than ever and I'm all in.... http://bit.ly/relaunch

Are you the right kind of catalyst in your organization?

The larger your role in a complex organization, the more likely your mission includes being a catalyst for leading change and developing others.  You may be highly energetic, but are you really a catalyst?  And, are you the right kind? To help you answer, here is the chemistry perspective on different types of catalysts. 

There is a myth that the word “catalyst” always means *adding to* or *accelerating* a process.   Wrong!   Be careful about how you go about this as true catalysts can actually either increase or decrease the rate of a process:

Catalysis is the process in which the rate of a chemical reaction is either increased or decreased by means of a chemical substance known as a catalyst.

The leader learning to coach may work harder instead of smarter by exerting extra energy in the wrong way and at the wrong time in the process of developing others (providing too much value or advice vs. coaching, micromanaging vs. delegating, talking vs. listening).  These very efforts to make a positive effect are likely decreasing the rate of the other person’s development. 

Catalysts that speed the reaction are called positive catalysts. Catalysts that slow down the reaction are called negative catalysts or inhibitors.

Homework -Ask those that you are leading:  are your coaching methods inhibiting the rate of their growth or accelerating it?     What could you do differently?

If you are indeed a positive catalyst, now what?  Look sidewise in the organization and check how you may be helping or inhibiting the progress of your peers.   Scott Eblin (author of The Next Level) advises that one has to *pick up* behaviors such as “looking left and right as you lead”.  Collaborative support for your peers as they try to succeed becomes more essential to you and your organization as your career progresses.

Substances that increase the activity of catalysts are called promoters and substances that deactivate catalysts are called poisons.

Homework - Ask for feedback: do others perceive you as a promoter or as a poison?   What could you do differently?

Successful organizations do not tolerate inhibitors or poison for long.  To be a positive catalyst means you are not consumed by the process but you always spark something more in others.  Be as valuable as the precious metal platinum - one of the most highly sought after catalysts in the world.

Tough times call for strong leaders- Beth A Miller

When working with business owners and leaders, I am constantly being reminded of the stress they are currently enduring in this difficult economy. Most have had to make difficult decisions for the long term health of their company and more importantly the employees of the company.

More often than not the decisions made include the release of good employees, and cutbacks in salaries, wages and benefits. The people remaining are faced with more work than before and often less compensation for their efforts.

Leaders are well aware of the impact this has on morale and productivity.  And if they are a business owner, the impact on them is mammoth.  As a business owner, their personal finances are severely impacted by the financial health of the business. They also feel personally responsible for their employees who they have had to let go as well as those who remain.

Recently, I was meeting with a business owner who shared with me a recent conversation he had with some of his employees. Although he had not had to release any employees, business had started to become tight and he had made some cutbacks in overhead expenses. He decided to take some key employees out to lunch as a way of expressing his gratitude for their contributions. During lunch the employees shared their observations of him over the last several months. He was shocked to hear that he had been demonstrating a number of behaviors that lead the employees to believe that he was stressed out.

The good thing was that the employees felt comfortable enough to share their concerns with him. He had obviously created a safe environment for his employees.  I then asked him “what was the message he got from this conversation?” His immediate response, I need to be a better leader!

We then explored what being a better leader would look like and how he could start to move towards his ultimate goal. He identified options and resources available to him and committed to some next steps with a specific time line.

This story is just one of many about leaders who are having difficulty handling the stress today. Many don’t realize how they are presenting themselves to their employees and the impact that their transparent emotions and negative behaviors have on their employees.

Here are some reminders to maintain a persona of strength with your employees and team members during these very extremely challenging times:

1. Take care of yourself. Exercise, good nutrition, 7-8 hours of sleep, and time for yourself are important to keep your energy up and emotions in check.
2. Focus on the recovery plan and communicate the details of the plan in a positive and encouraging tone.
3. When communicating bad news, again focus on the plan to turn the situation around.
4. Practice with a trusted advisor before important communications.
5. Encourage others around you to be part of the plan and success, don’t take it all on yourself!
6. Celebrate success!  Visibly recognize employees who contributed to the success and this doesn’t have to cost money.

Remember that your employees and team members take their cues from you.  The behavior your model will be picked up and replicated. Positive cues and behaviors can be contagious and important to navigate your company through these rough times

Beth on Twitter

Beth on LinkedIn 

 

Investing in What Matters: Linking Employees to Business Outcomes

Today, we dive into the world of analytics and human capital in an interview with my colleagues Shane Douthitt and Scott Mondore from Strategic Management Decisions (SMD). Always in search of wise investments, I believe the power of analytics is key to solving today and tomorrow's business challenges ...I find it very interesting that as I post this interview, IBM announces their purchase of SPSS - predictive analytics software.    In my interview, SMD shares their deep expertise in developing human capital strategies based on analytics linking employee data to business outcomes as recently published in their book "Investing in What Matters: Linking Employees to Business Outcomes"

 

 

*What is the main theme of the book and your work?

We provide a structured approach for human resource (HR) professionals to instruct corporations how to use solid analytics to connect employee data to business outcomes. "Investing in what matters" uses a case study approach to help organizations use the data they have to transform their workforce into their biggest asset. 

 

*What experiences compelled you to write this book?

We have worked as internal HR executives, external HR consultants as well as corporate strategy executives and line-of-business leaders. We have seen HR from all angles and have had great success over the past 15 years in these roles applying our methodology to show the value of what we were doing in HR. We wanted to write this book to help HR leaders become true business partners and show the value of the work we have dedicated our careers to...

 

 

*How is your work with HR data unique compared to everything else that has come before it?  What are the differentiators?

To date, the work that is out there is based on assumptions and weak analytical techniques.   The work on HR Scorecards focuses on efficiency metrics and employee engagement—none of which are business outcomes. Efficiency metrics are strictly for functions that are viewed as cost-centers who can only show value by cutting their budgets. This does not have to be a soft science...far from it. Our approach is a simple, practical way to take the vast amounts of HR data that already exist in organizations (training, surveys, competencies, demographics) and link them to actual business outcome data that shows cause-and-effect relationships. This allows HR leaders to show a monetary impact on the business and to also be held accountable for the business reaching its goals. This is what is truly meant by getting a “seat at the table”.

 

*Can you give us an example of a company that followed your advice and has realized gains in their investment?

A large grocery chain was losing $93 million dollars a year in losses called ‘shrink’ (e.g. employee theft, food losses, spoilage). The company had worked on their supply chain and distribution issues with some impact. However, the head of the shrink initiative realized that changes in behavior was the one area that would yield the greatest benefits. We implemented our methodology which pulled in all of the HR data and we discovered specific competencies, attitudes and hiring process issues that were directly driving shrink. The organization implemented initiatives to work on these specific areas and are now already ahead of the total annual plan for the year (and it’s only July).

 

*What are some "a-ha's" from your experience that drive the advice you provide to organizations:

We have ten principles in the book that help frame the next steps:

1. Organizations already spend significant amounts of money on their people….they just don’t spend it on the right things.
2. Organizations make investments in people without any data or with the wrong data.
3. Employee engagement in itself is not a business outcome.
4. People and organizations are complex. The linkages between attitudes and outcomes have to be understood within your organization using your data.
5. The people data and outcome data do exist—you just have to go and get it.
6. The organization’s data exist in silos.
7. There will be obstacles and barriers to obtaining the data (e.g. politics, turf battles).
8. Once a connection/linkage is made with the data—accountability is unavoidable (and that’s a good thing).
9. Don’t assume a link between employee data and business outcomes—define it and understand why or why not.
10. Perceptions alone do not show up on the profit and loss statement.

*Considering everything that businesses are handling at the moment, why is linking employees to business outcomes even more critical right now?

Our work outlines a process that organizations can follow to connect investments in employees to the bottom line. In the current slow economy, as organizations have been looking to cut expenses--our approach allows them to make people investment decisions based on cause-and-effect and ROI analyses. However, this should be done no matter the shape of the economy as HR, to this point, has struggled to show a return on investment.

 

In other words, there is never a better time than the present to invest wisely for the future.

 

For more from Scott and Shane, please see www.strategicmanagementdecisions.com

 

Influencing the rest of the pack

Have you ever received widely varying feedback from a group of stakeholders?  You might be making some assumptions that are ultimately taking you further from achieving your objectives.  Before getting stuck on "they just don't know me well" or "I've never gotten this feedback before", check my scenarios to see if you are working in the wrong direction. For some immediate takeaway application: I've included a few lessons on influencing from what may seem like an unlikely source - Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer. 

Succession planning, M&A scenarios, turnover, promotion or a crisis are catalysts for a rebalancing of who are your key stakeholders and how should you best influence and interact with them.  Best case scenario = consistent and conscious calibration of your influencing plan and seeking ongoing feedback on whether or not you are being effective.  Too often it is not until a stakeholder analysis reveals widely varied responses on how someone is perceived - How can they be "too assertive" sometimes and "not nearly assertive enough" with others?  Effectively influencing depends on the person and the situation at hand.  I observe people making several incorrect assumptions when trying to influence outcomes:

Incorrect Assumption #1 - The Match - incorrectly assuming one should always match their level of assertiveness to the other person's level -   Typical poor result: the conversation gets stuck.  Examples:

• Your peer always speaks their mind so you *match* by being outspoken in order to influence them. You get stuck in an argument and get nowhere.
• Your direct report is not assertive so you *match* by tempering down your level of direction.  You get stuck because they take no action. 

Incorrect Assumption #2 - The Push - incorrectly assuming that an increase in your energy level or efforts will always equate to being more influential - Typical poor result: others attack or withdraw leaving you with lost credibility.  Examples:

• You push for something you deem important without realizing that the group has already decided. People stop listening to you.
• You work longer and longer hours on an issue and learn that the stakeholder gets angry that you have overstepped your boundaries.  You've lost time and colleagues stop asking for your help.

Incorrect Assumption #3 - You are in control - incorrectly assuming that your title, tenure, authority to sign a paycheck or high IQ gives you automatic influence in a situation. Typical poor result: you are no longer chosen as the strongest candidate to accomplish a future objective.  Examples:

• You make decisions because "it is your assigned territory" without seeking input outside your territory. Senior leadership expresses concern that you are not a team player
• You share an FTE who technically reports to you yet the matrixed manager complains you are a bottleneck to decisions. You are deemed a micromanager.

Tips for How to Influence the Rest of the Pack 

I have no fewer than 3 sisters who are veterinarians so comparisons of human behavior to animal behavior are nothing new to me.  There are many behavioral comparisons that do not apply (though you might be surprised!) - however I see direct application from our canine comrades and The Dog Whisperer's work around assertiveness, influence and applying the concept of Who is Alpha to choose behaviors for different situations. In my understanding, the Alpha is the one in control and, if influenced well, promotes a highly collaborative relationship for working towards an objective.  This so-called Alpha can be female or male, and WILL CHANGE depending on the situation and the evolution of the relationship.  Perhaps you are Alpha which means you are influencing correctly in some situations.  However, that can change if you are not conscious about it.  I believe the following lessons from the canine world might be applicable:

Realize that anyone can be Alpha at any time -  sometimes you are Alpha, sometimes you aren't.  Alpha has more to do with level of influence and ability to gain buy-in for results than title. This is essentially relationship power vs. title power.  One of my clients sadly found out 6 months into a new role that she had been trying to influence a situation through her boss and had neglected the person who was actually gaining buy-in from senior leadership - her peer.   

Remain calm, yet assertive - being overly aggressive or unassertive doesn't work.  When approaching the person of influence- remain calm, stay conscious of emotion or frustration, and assert yourself.   One of my clients encountered an Alpha who made him crazy by being very indecisive "hmmm, let me think about that".  Weeks would go by and the more he fought, the longer the pauses and indecision.  When he calmed down and visibly didn't let it get the better of him - he was accepted and the behavior disappeared. 

Learn the boundaries and respect them - working across boundaries without giving or taking too much is ultimately important to working relationships.  There are volumes of work on boundary setting but one key that seems universal is to establish a feedback mechanism to consistently calibrate roles and responsibilities. Boundaries are dynamic and require communication and willingness to recalibrate to work. 

So, a few takeaways for you humans out there:

• Canines can tell you right away who is Alpha. Can you?
• Canines get kicked out of the pack if they don't pass the calm but assertive test.  Relax and go further.
• Canines spend a good portion of their life communicating about boundaries and making sure they know the limits.  When was the last time you rebalanced your influence plan?

Is TwitterFeedForward the new 360 assessment?

At the 140 Characters Conference in New York recently (as very well reported by Brian Solis), in the words of Twitter creator and co-founder Jack Dorsey during his morning keynote, “Twitter is about approach, transparency, and immediacy.”  Current evidence is the power generated by the TwitterReports from the Iranian elections that have the entire world watching and traditional media scrambling.

I witnessed the power of Twitter when speaking at several events in China over the past two weeks on the topic of "Accelerating Development of Emerging Leaders in Emerging Markets".  Twitter was a planned topic of my conversation as I believe it is a training and development mechanism of the future (or now!).  Coincidentally, Twitter was censored in China that same week because of the Tianamen Square 20th anniversary...this censorship proved my point and audience members were either raving fans of Twitter or terrified that they didn't know about it already.   There were almost no neutrals.  We went overtime discussing it.

I see immediate application for advising leaders - What better way to calibrate one's perceived improvement on leadership competencies, gather trend data, track follow-up and reveal perceptions of leaders in realtime?    "Approach, transparency and immediacy"=Important leadership qualities.  Twitter=potential vehicle for the real-time feedback leaders seek.  I see looming issues but definite opportunities.  iPhone app for BossRate?   I believe that this feedback will happen unharnessed anyway so might as well be out front and somewhat organized about. 

TwitterFeedBack? TwitterFeedForward (ala Marshall Goldsmith)?  Twitter360?  The Citizen Media intersects with leaders inside Wall Street and Main Street.  

I welcome others to actively join me (and follow me on Twitter) as I try to figure this out. 

The Art of Perception

I spent Memorial Day in Washington DC with two extremely smart friends and colleagues of mine (former NASA engineer and a high speed fiber optics specialist nonetheless!).  One highlight was touring the International Spy Museum.  Though I was wow'd by the miniature cameras, creative hiding places for radio signals, and the physical prowess and supercars of a few of the famous spies we all know and love, it was none of these things that alone won over the long term.  True, there were many grim stories that do not apply to what I am speaking of here so I ask that comparisons to bugging the CIA building and some of the KGB's tactics be left out (and those extreme tactics aren't close to what day-to-day corporate leaders are actually doing).   However, the experience was yet another reinforcement for the application of the "what" and the "how" contributing to historical successes.  The difference between winning and losing, living and dying, success and failure across cultures, wars, and centuries was often anchored in the savvy Art of Perception.

The Art of Perception = knowing the audience, adapting, sending the right message, making certain the message is received as intended, consistently gathering feedback to ensure clear communication.

But what about the art of deception?  Is that what I'm advocating?   No.   Not at all.  Out of fear I see perception and misperception too automatically linked in most people's thinking.  One must work and communicate consciously in order to avoid two of the biggest mistakes:  

• Mistake #1 - Being disingenious - I am absolutely not advocating for manipulative misperception, deception, or tactics that are not genuine.  Many leaders in their evolution mistake political savvy with having to lie, cheat and steal to get ahead.  I have seen this approach work only with luck (at best) and never consistently. In fact, it is one of the quickest paths to failure.  This approach will without a doubt consistently damage reputations in both the short and long term.   

  

• Mistake #2 - Ignoring critical information - From the other perspective, I advise leaders to make sure they are not naive.   More often than not I see leaders make the mistake of not learning how they are being misperceived.  In fear of being disingenious they avoid the issue completely writing it off as as "soft skills".   

Though the Aston Martin is quite lovely, what is the realistic takeaway and application for you?   What is the biggest misperception about yourself that you haven't yet decoded?

"Danger, Will Robinson, Danger": Don't always give exactly what is asked

Leaders are often surprised to receive some of the worst feedback related to the exact moments that they were actually trying give their best input.  How can the perception gap be so wide?  Check out the following scenarios:

• Someone in a meeting says "tell me what you really think, be blunt".   You do and then get slammed for being too blunt.

• A direct report emails a document to you at the last minute.  You review and are told later by a peer that your comments were not relevant.

• You are asked for your strategic advice.  You give it wholeheartedly.  It turns out to be wrong and you are blamed for someone else's mistake.

• A client calls and asks for X.  You offer to provide X.  They decide it won't work and engage with a different company who instead will provide Y.

All of the above describe what I characterize as day-to-day invitations to really screw up.  Give someone a chance to finally say what is on their mind, put their mark on something, take the gloves off or give someone exactly what they ask for and suddenly the smartest and most successful do exactly that - - - and get the opposite of what they expected.  Instead of a resounding "Thanks" they hear a thud. 

Have these people been setup to fail?  Is there a premeditated plot behind soliciting the input?  Likely not.  After hearing replays of 1000s of these situations I believe that the ask-er is honestly asking for the input.  What the listener needs to realize is that there are likely unknown variables that drastically affect what input will be lovingly received.   The chances of wrong timing, wrong tone, and wrong direction are highly likely with so many unknowns. 

DANGER.  DANGER, WILL ROBINSON.   STAY ALERT. 

These *invitations* are the exact moment to take a step back and be fully aware of the best response to provide the right value.  Being too blunt may get in the way of having your message heard.  It is not what they asked, it is what they receive that counts.  Your brand is always at stake.

In addition to being more aware, in some scenarios you may want to ask questions to provide more information about how best to respond to ensure the right timing, the right tone, the right direction and the right service that will actually add value.  Or, (shockingly for some of you) you might decide to not provide any input at all beyond questioning.   Guess what?  That might not be the end of the world.   I am definitely not suggesting being silent if you become aware of a critical error, emergency, or serious derailer.   And you can't skirt questions or you may be seen as having no backbone.   You can be more thoughtful and improve your chances of success.

"The Street is Falling" - Assessing Risk yet Staying Focused

 

In this picture, street artist Edgar Mueller has figured out a brilliant 3D metaphor for assessing risk tolerance. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of a street art competition, Mueller spent five days, working 12 hours a day, to create the 250 square metre image of the crevasse. He then persuaded passers-by to complete the illusion by pretending the gaping hole was real.

How do you handle challenges and make decisions? 

• Do you appropriately assess the perils and reinforce what is required? 

• Do you get distracted and lose focus? 

• Do you blindly ignore it all, absolutely hellbent on making sure to achieve your goal on the other side?

Leaders fail when they are not able to strike the right balance...some standing on one side of the street unable to "let go" of the curb.  Others are grabbing the hands of their entire team (or organization, or country) and leaping into the road and getting hit by the universal equivalent of a Class 8 heavy duty truck.  

So what does success look like? 

This picture brings to mind the perspectives of three very successful individuals I have worked with who consciously strive to maintain focus while acknowledging, minimizing and hedging risk.

*a CFO who is transitioning from a successful career as part of large organizations to a new business model entitled "consultant of 1".  This new way of working is requiring significant changes so he has invested in a board of directors to help guide him. We will tell him when to look down and when to run out of the way of the oncoming traffic.

*the person who shared this picture with me - he keeps the visual front and center as a reminder for "facing fear" . It has apparently helped him remember that sometimes there is more solid ground than might appear.  He can now step off of the curb.

*a high potential leader in an investment bank who was given a floundering team and told "go turn this around".  He was given opportunities and (at the time) free reign to make some bad decisions.  He didn't.  He instead did the right things and still made $millions over plan.  He took the right risks, kept his focus, and managed to get his clients and his team to the profitable side of the street. 

If I was standing next to the Mini Cooper in this picture and/or watching you make decisions during good times or bad...what would I see?

Networking: Getting Out of Your Own Way

Try an experiment with me in shifting your perspective...

Phase 1 of the experiment -  networking is so critical in the current business climate that I've asked all of my clients to do the following: "rate yourself from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) on the art of networking".  Here is the flavor of what people say to me (Note no one ever seems to say 1 or 10):

*2 to 4 - I'm terrible at it.  I hate reaching out to people, making calls or sending emails to ask for help.

*5 to 6 - I'm OK at it.  Once I get over making calls and sending emails to people I enjoy it and I do pretty well. I often find that there are ways I can help them too.

*7 to 9 - I actually really like it.  I enjoy making connections and usually there is something I can offer that helps accomplish their goals also.

Do you see the stark differences in these three sets of answers?  It is fascinating that the more people say "I enjoy it" and their focus is on *the other person in the equation* the more positive the rating. 

Hmmmm.........is this difference in skill or difference in perspective?

Phase 2  -  Next, I then ask each person to rate themselves again only this time, I purposefully break the question into 2 parts....for rating #1 I focus them on the things they express they don't like and for rating #2 I focus them on the things they express they do like about networking.  Here we go:

Rate yourself 1 to 10 on "reaching out to people".   What do you like or not like about that part of it?  Now, picture yourself in the actual networking meeting....how would you rate yourself 1 to 10 once you are actually networking with someone?  What do you like or not like about that part of it?  For example, do you like to ask questions and learn more about people?   

This is suddenly an "a-ha" moment for many people. They realize they actually don't hate *networking* quite as they thought they did.  Breaking it down in two parts (or maybe more if needed) really focuses people on what they see as  positive and negative.  Once we know that, we better know where to add some reinforcement or skill building or structure (to minimize those negatives) so they can then quit getting in their own way.  

Possible interpretation:

*original 2 to 4 - it seems these people stop before they start.  They see little to no positives and only the potential difficulties

*original 5 to 6 - it seems these people see both the positives and the  potential difficulties but they sometimes let the difficulties stop (or slow) them down. 

*original 7 to 9 - it seems these people see the positives and have somehow found a way to not let the difficulties get in the way. 

FOCUS ON THE RIGHT THINGS - If you think that it is something outside of yourself or a significant lack of skill that holds you back - I would argue that it usually is not.  Of the people I've talked with, whether introvert or extrovert, experienced or newly minted, articulate or less so - - the ones who focus on the positive and make sure to deal with, learn about and realistically handle the negative are by far the best networkers.

How do you perceive your networking abilities and what are you doing that is holding you back?