The Tail of the Tiger

So, for all of you who’ve just made it back from being exiled on a desert island, here’s the catchup: Tiger Woods, golfer extraordinaire, crashed his car at 2 a.m. earlier this week in front of his Florida mansion.  He was found bare foot with a bloody lip and a golf club wielding wife standing over him (apparently, she used the golf club to smash in his car window and “free” him).

Since the incident, golf’s golden boy has gone underground, refusing to cooperate with the Florida State Police.  With Tiger being tight lipped about what went down that fateful morning, the press are having a field day speculating about what’s really going on.  Celebrity site TMZ is tossing around accusations that Woods’ wife was chasing him with the golf club after a confrontation in their home over an alledged affair and now leaked “racy” cell phone messages are coming out of the woodwork.

This whole incident reminds me of what can happen in organizations when leaders get tight lipped about messy incidents.   They tend not to go away.  In fact, the speculation surrounding what is “really” going on tends to feed the water cooler gossip circle.

I wonder what would have happened if Woods’ had come out boldly with a statement and addressed everything up front?  I doubt we’d be seeing the media frenzy that we’re seeing right now.  Remember how quickly Hugh Grant diffused the Divine Brown incident on Leno and continued on a successful career trajectory to boot.

It seems to me, as leaders, we could take a lesson here around “getting ahead of the crisis” by getting out front of challenging situations quickly.  Without accurate information, people quickly start filling in the blanks and making up their own stories.  And before you know it, that minor organizational hiccup has become a major organizational headache.

Happy leading!

The truth about ‘engagement’

It’s always fascinating to me to see which organizational buzz words get the most play.  These days, one of the chart toppers had to be “engagement”.  Everyone seems to be worrying about how to “engage” their top talent; “engage” Generation Y; “engage” their aging workforce… I could go on.

Last Friday, Kathleen Redmond of The Centre for Character Leadership led a discussion with our members on the topic of leadership by engagement. The discussion was lively on a number of fronts, but the main take-aways for me were this:

1. Engagement isn’t something that the Human Resources team can (or should) be responsible for.  Engagement happens by what YOU as the leader does to create engagement.
2. Creating engagement is more than just “walking the talk”.  It’s about deeply believing in what you are doing… not just giving out the “right message” and going through the motions.  This is what creates authenticity and this is what, ultimately, people will connect to.
3. The majority of organizations aren’t rewarding the right things.  We still overemphasize driving bottomline results and reward the “sometimes” bad behaviour used by individuals to drive said results.  We create sets of values that espouse behaviours like “respect” and then turn a blind eye on disrespectful behaviour as long as targets are being met.
4. The majority of leaders aren’t great at describing the expected behaviourto their direct reports.  We say “be more strategic” to our direct report and expect them to get the message about what they need to do to present themselves as being strategic.  Sadly, it doesn’t work that way.

A great exercise to help you make your ”behavioural” coaching statements more specific is to think through what you would expect to see people SAYING or DOING if they were demonstrating that behaviour.  For example, instead of saying “be more strategic” tell your tactical guy or gal: “I would like to see you share the business drivers that are behind each of your ideas when you present your recommendations.”  Or try the “what not to do approach”, as in… ”when you blurt out “I had an idea in the shower this morning” at each of our staff meetings, you don’t come across as being very strategic.”

For more information on Kathleen’s work and book, check out her website at www.centreforcharacterleadership.com.

Happy leading!

Isn’t your career worth more than a venti double Americano?

Gather ’round smart leaders and let me tell you a story.  A story that’s being repeated in workplaces across Canada as I type…

Once upon a time, there was a smart, uber talented MBA graduate who had invested $60k of his hard earned cash to earn the credential that was his ticket to the management echelons.  Years passed and the young, hardworking, MBA-holding leader was finally given the big opportunity he’d dreamed of… a big step up into a high profile, challenging role.  His new boss gave him an encouraging smile, mentioned something about an “open door policy” and left him to get on with the task at hand.  The classic “sink or swim” approach to stepping into a bigger role.

But our hero is no management “sinker”.  He knew he needed help.  So, he did what every smart employee does: he sourced some management courses and even went to HR to get more recommendations on courses he could take and coaches he could hire.  All fired up and clear on the support he needed to avoid a potential career flameout, our guy headed to his bosses’ office to get approval on his development request.

When all of a sudden… disaster struck! The economy tanked… training budgets were cut… and his boss fed him the standard party line that went something like this…”you’re an important member of the team but my hands are tied until Q3 when we can maybe access that cash.”

Unfortunately, the tanking economy didn’t wait for Q3 to turn up the heat on our fearless leader. His team downsized and his deliverables upsized.  The pressure was building… his career was sliding… he wasn’t sleeping… and the only person who was happy was the barista that was serving up our hero’s twice daily dose of venti double Americanos.

Insert dramatic, tension-building musical interlude here…

Will our hero survive this impending career crash?  Will his boss see the light and pull the measly $5k out of the photocopy budget to hire him the coach he so obviously needs???

But more importantly… will our smart, MBA-holding, fast-tracker stop waiting for his organization to help him get the development he needs and look after himself?????

Okay… I’m being a little bit overly dramatic here.  But only a little bit.  Consider this blog a thought provoker.

For all of you out there that are under the continued belief (some, less kind people, would say delusion) that your organization should and WILL pay for all the development you need (and you WILL need it) post-grad school, it’s time for a reality check.  If you are a GenX or GenY leader you should KNOW by now that there are no jobs for life and you should KNOW that you have to build your resume to ensure your future job opportunities (which, frankly, has to include keeping your skills up to parr)… so why are you still waiting for your boss to foot your development bill?  Why are you potentially putting your career at risk by not getting the support you need, when you need it?  On YOUR terms?

Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t ask your boss to cough up some bucks when your skills are obviously going to help the company.  But, what I am saying is that – at the end of the day – you HAVE to look after yourself.  Don’t spend more money buying Venti Americano’s or Bell Expressvu or that snappy new suit each year than you do in investing in your biggest asset… YOU!

The Wealthy Barber  espoused putting 10% of your salary away to “pay yourself first”.  Well, I’d like to suggest you take 5% of your salary and invest in yourself first.  Don’t wait for your boss to do it for you.  Afterall, if you’re not hitting your deliverables, I doubt you’ll get an apology from your organization for not giving you the support you need.  And, if you do hit those deliverables, the raise you’ll be getting and the opportunities that will be in front of you will far outweigh the money that you’ve invested in yourself.

Your career’s worth more than a thousand no-foam-double-hot lattes.  Isn’t it?

Happy leading!

Are you unintentionally disengaging your top talent?

I don’t think most managers like to think that they are driving their best people out the door, but when I looked at the answers posted to the following question on LinkedIn, a lot of the reason’s voiced were (what I would consider) rookie management mistakes.

The question was:  What do organizations do to disengage their top performers?

Check out the LinkedIn responses.

Interesting set of responses which really just leads me to believe that poor management is a serious epidemic!

My favourite response was the simple: “they tell them “NO””.  Sadly, that’s a situation I’ve lived, witnessed and made the mistake of doing myself.  In my experience and opinion, it’s probably the one word that contributes the most to disengagement of high performers.

What’s your opinion?  If this is a topic that you’d like to debate, why not join me at the Strategic Leadership Forum Human Capital Council event next Wednesday, November 25 at 6:30 p.m.? Visit the SLF website for more details.

Happy leading!

Best leadership advice ever… part 2

In a previous post (same title, part one), I revealed my plan to put on my roaming reporter cap and ask unsuspecting execs, what pearls of wisdom were given to them early in their career that they still draw on today.

At last week’s PowerRoundtable event, the question was posed to our illustrious panelists (Lee Nehring, Jeff Gilchrist and Caroline Dabu) and here’s Lee’s:

“It’s more important, as a leader, to be trusted than to be loved.”

I was given similar advice from one of my early mentors who said: it’s better to be respected than to be liked.

This piece of advice, for me, racks up there in the “easy to say,  hard to do” category for many leaders.  But especially if you’re someone who gains a lot of your “juice” from being liked and having strong social bonds with your team.

We all know leadership isn’t a popularity contest.  If you get squeemish at the thought of your direct reports “yipping” about your latest “bad decision” at the water cooler, here’s my observation:

Over the long run – whether people like you at the time or not - if you stick to you principles and are consistent and fair with your team, you will likely be remembered, not for the times when you did things they didn’t like, but as a leader they trusted and knew they could count on.

And isn’t that better than being just another drinking buddy?

Happy leading!

Newsflash… you’re not being “nice”!

I’ve had one too many meetings over the past couple of weeks where leaders I was chatting with were complaining about the actions of either a direct report or colleague.  When I asked them how the colleague had responded to their feedback, I got a blank stare.  And then, in each case, the conversation went something like this…

Leader: “Well… I haven’t actually spoken to them,” 

Me:  “Why not?”

Leader: “Well, I didn’t want to hurt their feelings.  They’ve been going through a lot and I didn’t want to add to the stress.”

Me: “But didn’t you say this is a pattern that’s been going on for a while?”

Leader: (grudgingly) “Yes… but I feel really badly.  I just don’t think they can actually do the job.  I guess I’m being too NICE.”

Okay… so, here’s the “newsflash”: by trying to protect people and not “hurt” them by giving them performance feedback that would HELP them keep their jobs… you are being the opposite of “nice”.  I would venture to say, your conflict avoidant excuses are setting your direct report (or peer, or supplier… whoever) for an exceptionally cruel awakening.

I often talk to people who are “in transition” who, from their perspective, feel that they were solid performers and were “shocked” when they were the ones who got downsized.

I hear people say to me all the time “no one’s safe” when it comes to corporate restructuring.  Even the super smart “high performers” can find themselves on the chopping block.

Some of this may in fact be true (although, personally, I’d be hard pressed to see a reason to ever let go my top talent).  But here’s the rub. I’ve also had conversations with some of these people’s former bosses and my observation is, many bosses are too “nice” and many of these people who find themselves unemployed were being fed a line of malarkey about how well they were doing.  When the opportunity came along for their boss to show them the door (think tanking economy), they used the opportunity to “upgrade their talent”.

I think one of the deadliest epidemics in today’s workplace isn’t H1N1… it’s lack of feedback.  And, if you want to take control of your leadership career… you’d better make sure you’re getting a regular dose.

And, stop thinking that you’re being “nice” if you’re not giving your direct reports the straight goods on how they’re doing. You’re being mean.  After all, wouldn’t you want to know how you were messing up and be given the opportunity to fix it or, if it wasn’t fixable, move on to a new career without the humiliation of being fired or downsized?  I know what I’d rather have.

If you’re worried that you may be leading without a feedback safety net, why not come and check out the launch of our newest program: The Roundtable for Leaders.  Isn’t it time you stopped waiting for your boss to keep your job safe and started looking after yourself?

Happy leading!

Do you know, where you’re going to?

And do you like the things that life is showing you…?  Where are you going to?  Do you know???

On that note, our lively PowerRoundtable panelists got our members engaged in a fascinating discussion about balancing short and long-term focus.  Thanks to Lee Nehring of Xstrata Nickel, Jeff Gilchrist of IBM Canada and Caroline Dabu of BMO Financial for sharing their insights with our audience.

Here are some of the discussion highlights to help you know where you’re going to as a leader… and in life:

1. Values, values, values… know your values – as an individual and as an organization – and let them be a compass to help you set strategy and maintain your course during challenging times.
2. Be prepared to adjust your approach… keep sight on your long-term objectives but know when to take risks and seize opportunities.  Flexibility is key.
3. Build connections… get involved beyond your organization.  Network strategically to build your skills and help stay tuned to emerging trends that may affect your strategy (personally and organizationally).
4. Recruit for talent…  ultimately people drive results.  Know what talent you need and hire people that are excited about the vision and aligned to the organization’s core values.
5. Build capacity for strategic thinking… but don’t try to turn everyone into a strategist.  Communicate the vision and long-term picture with your team, but recognize the roles individuals play in driving day-to-day execution.
6. It’s all about accountability… know your goals and objectives.  Write them down (especially personally). Then, hold yourself accountable for your own success.  Keep your values at the fore-front of your decision-making even though it may mean making tough choices in the short-term that will ultimately give you bigger rewards in the long-term.

Join us at our next PowerRoundtable on December 2 where we’ll explore how to rebuild trust.  This should be a hot one.  And, if you’re ready to expand your network with some amazing, like-minded leaders… join The Executive Roundtable: the organization for leaders on the move.

Happy leading!

Another reason to love Tom Peters

So, back to The Art of Management event on Oct 16.  Just re-reading some classic Tom Peters quotes from the day.  Here’s one of my favourites:

“Leadership at any level is a sacred trust.”

Given that the majority of people leave their jobs because of the relationship with their boss and that 20% of employees are actively engaged against you, it seems that the majority of bosses aren’t getting this message.  (They must be non-subscribers to this blog!).

Peters went on to suggest some key questions that should be asked of leaders during the interview process.  Why not try these, next time you’re looking for the type of leader who knows how to attract, and not repel, talent.

• “Name 3 people you have most contributed to.”
• “Tell me about your greatest development triumph (as it relates to growing others).”
• “Now tell me about your greatest development disaster.”
• “What are the 3 big things you’ve learned about how to help people grow?”

Remember, as Matthew Kelly, author of The Dream Manager, states: An employees primary purpose is to become the best version of him or herself.

Your job as their manager is to help get them there.  After all, you made the choice to take on the mantle of leadership… so, what are you going to do with the opportunity that’s presented?

Happy leading!

Putting the “cult” in culture

I had a fascinating discussion today with Michael Mattalo and Shana MacEachren of Fifth P Solutions about people and branding and another personal “a-ha” moment.  (FYI – Fifth P is a VERY cool company that ANYONE who has customers needs to check out.)

Anyway, here’s my “a-ha” moment.

Organizations spend hundreds of thousands (make that millions) of dollars building their brand.  They define their brand “promise” and “value” and come up with all kinds of snappy ways to differentiate themselves from the competition.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the executive suite, the senior executives (and in some progressive organizations) a smattering of emloyees come up with the “VALUES” for their organization (also known as, what words are we going to use to describe the culture we want to build here).  Now, as we all know, lot’s of times organizations come up with the standard set of “words on a wall” schtick (eg: “Our values are: innovation, customer focus, integrity and social responsibility… sound familiar???)  Anyway, this post isn’t about that.

My “a-ha” was about the process of defining your “corporate” values.  Shouldn’t they be aligned to your customer brand?  Shouldn’t you be figuring out how your corporate position aligns to how your people are behaving?

As Michael said to me: “How many marketing people have an HR person on their planning teams?”  *SNAP*

Instead of running two separate processes and coming up with two separate sets of rules around how we’ll treat customers vs. how we’ll treat each other internally… wouldn’t you be smarter to combine both of these thoughts into one?  Kill two birds with one stone and drive better business results.  Now that just seems to make tons of sense to me.

If this topic intrigues you, then join Michael and I on our e-Roundtable this Friday (Oct 30) or check out Fifth P Solutions for more details.

Happy leading!

In Conversation with Suzanne Sherkin

A few week’s back, Executive Roundtable Founder & President, Glain Roberts-McCabe joined host Suzanne Sherkin on her wildly popular internet tv show, Essential Conversations.

Check out the full interview: http://blip.tv/play/g60lgaX6TgI%2Em4v

 And check out Suzanne’s Show on That Channel, each Thursday at 10 a.m.

Happy leading!