In the recent book Switch by Chip and Dan Heath, they describe the way humans think about any and all issues. There’s the right side, tied to analytical and problem solving and the left, which is tied to our emotions.
During times of change you may rationally know the organization is to go in a new direction, however your emotional side likes the old way of doing systems and is comfortable with the systems already in place. So what happens? The organization may shift, however the employees don’t. Both your analytical and emotional sides need to align in order to really move and desire the change.
However when organizations are changing, do they communicate the change to our right and left sides of our brains? Not so much. Someone with a swanky title stands at a podium, says some nice things that most people won’t understand because the dialogue seems merely like rhetoric. If the leader is showing umpteen numbers of Power Point slides that’s even more of a snore and potentially more confusing. All employees hear are “here we go again…what does this mean…I hope I don’t get fired.” And so employee motivation is nil.
As Chip Heath points out, the US Congress long ago changed the national speed limit to 55 miles per hour. Did that change behavior? If you live in Los Angeles and drive the freeways at all hours of the day when the freeways are free of traffic, 55 mile per hour speed limit mirrors wishful thinking.
David Cooperrider who created the leadership modality, Appreciative Inquiry believes if you focus on the good stuff you’ll get more of it. People are inspired by great success stories. If a leader whose organization is going through change pointed out the last time there were changes how successfully the employee population leveraged their key strengths to make the change a victory, I bet you there would be plenty of people really motivated. At least employees would have a visual image that this change too can be done and we can come through it with the same degree or more of success than was experienced before.
When you build on strengths and empower employees to do so, change is not seen as moving a huge barge. It’s seen as something that’s tough and it can be done because we’ve done it before.
And please don’t look to change your organization by mirroring someone else’s. How about looking within, at your own history to see how you have worked change well. What were your proudest moments? Who was involved? How did teams and individuals interact? How about mirroring your internal case studies instead of someone else’s?
It’s easy to focus on what is not working, however if you can become a leader who can focus on what is working well and leverage the best of what is, betcha you’ll find a whole group of people around you more apt to do the heavy lifting that is required to move your organization to new heights.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
10 Reasons the Bad Economy is Great for Your Leadership
There are so many reasons to bemoan the economy as creating havoc with our organizations, businesses, lives and well-being. After all, why not? The economy has left leaders and employees in organizations scrambling with a lot more to do with fewer resources and greater demands. Sure, you can see it that way and then there’s another way…
Economic downturn creates the opportunity for leaders to rise above the chatter to become more opportunistic. It’s not easy, no one ever said it was and still we all have a choice…to moan in our office, be unhappy, stressed, overworked and overwhelmed or get on the surf board and ride the wave of opportunity. There’s money, promotions and heaps of learning waiting for you.
Here’s the top ten reasons why the bad economy is good for your leadership:
1. Challenge the status quo - Ask “what if” questions. Recent research published in the Harvard Business Review states the most effective leaders "are much more likely to ask 'What if' questions. Visionaries tend to ask heaps of questions and they challenge the status quo. Want to know what separates leaders such as Michael Dell from the rest, question and experiment. If you want to be safe, get a seat belt.
2. Great talent is everywhere - Great talent is on the market, begin recruiting now. Even if your organization cannot hire, meet people your friends recommend. If you have an open position and see someone you like and for some reason you can’t hire them now, keep their resume, you will hire them later.
3. Innovate - Companies seeking to increase profits are looking for solid ideas – great time for innovation.
4. Delegate juicy projects - Employees are distracted by the economy; delegate “juicy” projects to those you are looking to develop. Juicy projects are those that employees want to work on because it aligns with their interests and strengths. No greater way to get someone more invested then to give them a project where they can learn and shine.
5. Leverage your coaching abilities - With fewer dollars to spend on external resources, companies are looking for leaders to step up and be stellar coaches.
6. Become an internal ambassador - When times are tough companies are looking for new ways to utilize each and every resource. Introduce people internally to each other, suggest new ways for departments to work together, seek out new efficiencies. You will save your organization lots of time and money.
7. Network - To generate great ideas and to test out great ideas, not simply to promote yourself (Jeff Dyer, Brigham Young University professor suggests).
8. Focus on developing your internal talent - It’s a paradox, the economy has put many more highly qualified people in the market and still, some organizations are under a hiring freeze. What are you to do? Grow, groom and hone your talent. No, this is not a game or a test or a luxury. Investment in your people grows cash and makes you look good too. A leader is measured by the people they hire and grow, not simply by your own talents.
9. Huddle up for seven - Organizations such as 1-800 JUNK are using daily 7 minute huddle ups of everyone in the company as ways for employees to tout their success and to share what’s new. Don’t you have seven minutes to inspire your employees?
10. Sharpen your focus – with fewer people/resources and with everything being “seemingly” important, now more than ever is the opportunity to focus and cut away the clutter. Now is the time to have a systematic way to begin and end your day. There will always be more to do, however bookending your day with what is most important and scheduling a check in with yourself once a day will ensure you keep on track.
Leadership is a process, not an event. External circumstances will always throw a curve ball into the process. Those who can catch the ball and throw it back with greater vigor will be the ones who shine among the crowd. And wouldn’t you want to catapult your image in a crowded marketplace?
Economic downturn creates the opportunity for leaders to rise above the chatter to become more opportunistic. It’s not easy, no one ever said it was and still we all have a choice…to moan in our office, be unhappy, stressed, overworked and overwhelmed or get on the surf board and ride the wave of opportunity. There’s money, promotions and heaps of learning waiting for you.
Here’s the top ten reasons why the bad economy is good for your leadership:
1. Challenge the status quo - Ask “what if” questions. Recent research published in the Harvard Business Review states the most effective leaders "are much more likely to ask 'What if' questions. Visionaries tend to ask heaps of questions and they challenge the status quo. Want to know what separates leaders such as Michael Dell from the rest, question and experiment. If you want to be safe, get a seat belt.
2. Great talent is everywhere - Great talent is on the market, begin recruiting now. Even if your organization cannot hire, meet people your friends recommend. If you have an open position and see someone you like and for some reason you can’t hire them now, keep their resume, you will hire them later.
3. Innovate - Companies seeking to increase profits are looking for solid ideas – great time for innovation.
4. Delegate juicy projects - Employees are distracted by the economy; delegate “juicy” projects to those you are looking to develop. Juicy projects are those that employees want to work on because it aligns with their interests and strengths. No greater way to get someone more invested then to give them a project where they can learn and shine.
5. Leverage your coaching abilities - With fewer dollars to spend on external resources, companies are looking for leaders to step up and be stellar coaches.
6. Become an internal ambassador - When times are tough companies are looking for new ways to utilize each and every resource. Introduce people internally to each other, suggest new ways for departments to work together, seek out new efficiencies. You will save your organization lots of time and money.
7. Network - To generate great ideas and to test out great ideas, not simply to promote yourself (Jeff Dyer, Brigham Young University professor suggests).
8. Focus on developing your internal talent - It’s a paradox, the economy has put many more highly qualified people in the market and still, some organizations are under a hiring freeze. What are you to do? Grow, groom and hone your talent. No, this is not a game or a test or a luxury. Investment in your people grows cash and makes you look good too. A leader is measured by the people they hire and grow, not simply by your own talents.
9. Huddle up for seven - Organizations such as 1-800 JUNK are using daily 7 minute huddle ups of everyone in the company as ways for employees to tout their success and to share what’s new. Don’t you have seven minutes to inspire your employees?
10. Sharpen your focus – with fewer people/resources and with everything being “seemingly” important, now more than ever is the opportunity to focus and cut away the clutter. Now is the time to have a systematic way to begin and end your day. There will always be more to do, however bookending your day with what is most important and scheduling a check in with yourself once a day will ensure you keep on track.
Leadership is a process, not an event. External circumstances will always throw a curve ball into the process. Those who can catch the ball and throw it back with greater vigor will be the ones who shine among the crowd. And wouldn’t you want to catapult your image in a crowded marketplace?
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Positioning the Change
“One of our major initiative is investing in our people.” How many times have you heard this? A colleague and former client recently confided at an all-hands meeting the President stood up and proudly proclaimed this new organizational venture. I asked a logical question, “What does this mean?” She said, “I have no idea.”
Hmmm….
Organizations mean well and so do their top leaders. They want people to be valued and want to invest in their workforce, however the translation of it can leave people a little sour. Remember, “In the absence of information, people will make up their own.” And without being specific, a lot of interpretations can be made.
I wonder before the President got up and even made the statement, did he have the plans in place to back this all up? Were the people initiatives in place? What are they? What will be launched and when? Who were the people in the audience? Did he tailor his remarks? How will results of the initiatives be measured? Who will participate and when? And if he did have any of the information, why didn’t he share it in the moment? After all, he did have a captive audience!
Wonder what the President could have done differently? Let’s take a page from author William Bridges, a management transitions pr:
• You need to “sell” the issue that’s igniting the new initiative so employees can buy in and give you a big ol “yes.” It’s important for employees to buy in, when they do you’ll know it. Productivity, motivation, sales and innovation will increase. And if a change is communicated well, you’ll see dramatic increases. If not, then you know you have to go back to the drawing board.
• Write a positioning statement for the change. Preparation is key. Without taking the time to write something down, consider all ramifications, then you are setting yourself up for the “Scooby Doo” look. You know the one that I mean, it looks like you feel off a space ship and landed on a foreign planet and the only words out of your mouth sounds like “huh?”
• Before saying anything answer the following:
o What is the challenge? What is the situation that requires this change to solve it?
o Who says so and on what evidence?
o What would occur if no one acted to solve this?
o What would happen to us if that occurred?
o What is the upcoming change, exactly?
o What is ending and what is not (what is changing and what is not)
o Why is the change necessary?
o What is the purpose?
o When will more information about the change become available?
o How will this change be positive and provide continuity and longevity for the company?
• Use the information above about to write a first draft of a positioning statement and then a final draft.
Consider:
• When do you deliver the “positioning statement?”
• Where and to whom?
• How often is it delivered?
• In what format?
Once you have thought written a positioning statement and considered when and what format to deliver it, show the statement to other advocates and mentors and get their opinions. Buy in is critical.
Make sure the positioning statement is in alignment with the strategy created for the change. The one that puts your people first. After all, it’s the people who implement the changes and are the ones who make an initiative succeed or fail. And if you are reading this making a Scooby Doo-like face and the sound “huh” eeked out of your body, then it’s time to start again. Remember people +processes = profit/competitive edge/desired workplace. That’s a heck of a return on investment.
Hmmm….
Organizations mean well and so do their top leaders. They want people to be valued and want to invest in their workforce, however the translation of it can leave people a little sour. Remember, “In the absence of information, people will make up their own.” And without being specific, a lot of interpretations can be made.
I wonder before the President got up and even made the statement, did he have the plans in place to back this all up? Were the people initiatives in place? What are they? What will be launched and when? Who were the people in the audience? Did he tailor his remarks? How will results of the initiatives be measured? Who will participate and when? And if he did have any of the information, why didn’t he share it in the moment? After all, he did have a captive audience!
Wonder what the President could have done differently? Let’s take a page from author William Bridges, a management transitions pr:
• You need to “sell” the issue that’s igniting the new initiative so employees can buy in and give you a big ol “yes.” It’s important for employees to buy in, when they do you’ll know it. Productivity, motivation, sales and innovation will increase. And if a change is communicated well, you’ll see dramatic increases. If not, then you know you have to go back to the drawing board.
• Write a positioning statement for the change. Preparation is key. Without taking the time to write something down, consider all ramifications, then you are setting yourself up for the “Scooby Doo” look. You know the one that I mean, it looks like you feel off a space ship and landed on a foreign planet and the only words out of your mouth sounds like “huh?”
• Before saying anything answer the following:
o What is the challenge? What is the situation that requires this change to solve it?
o Who says so and on what evidence?
o What would occur if no one acted to solve this?
o What would happen to us if that occurred?
o What is the upcoming change, exactly?
o What is ending and what is not (what is changing and what is not)
o Why is the change necessary?
o What is the purpose?
o When will more information about the change become available?
o How will this change be positive and provide continuity and longevity for the company?
• Use the information above about to write a first draft of a positioning statement and then a final draft.
Consider:
• When do you deliver the “positioning statement?”
• Where and to whom?
• How often is it delivered?
• In what format?
Once you have thought written a positioning statement and considered when and what format to deliver it, show the statement to other advocates and mentors and get their opinions. Buy in is critical.
Make sure the positioning statement is in alignment with the strategy created for the change. The one that puts your people first. After all, it’s the people who implement the changes and are the ones who make an initiative succeed or fail. And if you are reading this making a Scooby Doo-like face and the sound “huh” eeked out of your body, then it’s time to start again. Remember people +processes = profit/competitive edge/desired workplace. That’s a heck of a return on investment.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Table Tennis Warren Buffet Style
Warren Buffet astounds me. He is one of the most successful investors in the world as well as a businessman and philanthropist. He is known for his personal frugality despite large amounts of wealth. It's not every day you witness someone giving away 85% of their fortune (to the Gates Foundation). He is the primary shareholder and CEO of a conglomerate holding company called, Berkshire Hathaway.
He did something I truly admire in a leader – he took responsibility. According to a recent article in The New York Times, last year he took himself to task for the company’s decline in book value. This year he was able to sing a higher note when he described to shareholders how he used the last 18 months to buy a string of assets that netted the company income of $8.1 billion last year. Sixty one percent higher than in 2008. He said, “It’s been an ideal period for investors: A climate of fear is their best friend.”
Usually we think of fear as the ultimate derailer. If I’m afraid, how can I move? How can I work? How can I thrive? How can I survive? However there is another paradigm…As Buffet, you can consider alternative solutions, ones that leverage innovation and people. Even if Buffet himself thought up all the ideas of where to invest and companies to acquire, he still needed people to execute these deals and without his people working in unison towards this goal, I wonder how much of the company income would have risen?
Fear can be a great leverage point if you know how to utilize it to motivate your workforce for new and innovative ways of thinking. How are organizations seizing on the fear that is pervasive in the market as well as in their boardrooms, staff offices and cubicles? How are organizations turning fear around to thrive in these economic times?
In recent weeks I wrote about Fortune Magazine’s list of the top companies that avoided layoffs during the economic downturn. Overall each invested in their people. They knew one clear point…if you don’t water a plant it whithers and oftentimes dies. Same is true with employees – if you don’t cultivate them they will leave, be stagnant or not get the job done well or at all.
Let’s take a page from Mercedes Benz ‘s management who looked inward to take a decisive step – “When management discovered that further cost reductions were unavoidable, the CEO and executive team (28 people total) accepted pay cuts. The tough choices paid off, resulting in a 10% total reduction of labor costs from mid-2009 to year-end. “
What a concept? All companies made tough choices in these rough economic times and still they put their people first, and by doing so were able to maintain their employee base while growing loyalty.
It does start with leadership. If you pave the way, employees will align. However leaders have to be willing to springboard innovation, creativity and lead by example. And you must take the time to engage and generate buy-in. Employees may not necessarily align and take initiative just because you want them to. Take a page from Warren Buffet…he invited shareholders to his company’s annual meeting and promised to play table tennis for spectators and urged them to buy goods and
He did something I truly admire in a leader – he took responsibility. According to a recent article in The New York Times, last year he took himself to task for the company’s decline in book value. This year he was able to sing a higher note when he described to shareholders how he used the last 18 months to buy a string of assets that netted the company income of $8.1 billion last year. Sixty one percent higher than in 2008. He said, “It’s been an ideal period for investors: A climate of fear is their best friend.”
Usually we think of fear as the ultimate derailer. If I’m afraid, how can I move? How can I work? How can I thrive? How can I survive? However there is another paradigm…As Buffet, you can consider alternative solutions, ones that leverage innovation and people. Even if Buffet himself thought up all the ideas of where to invest and companies to acquire, he still needed people to execute these deals and without his people working in unison towards this goal, I wonder how much of the company income would have risen?
Fear can be a great leverage point if you know how to utilize it to motivate your workforce for new and innovative ways of thinking. How are organizations seizing on the fear that is pervasive in the market as well as in their boardrooms, staff offices and cubicles? How are organizations turning fear around to thrive in these economic times?
In recent weeks I wrote about Fortune Magazine’s list of the top companies that avoided layoffs during the economic downturn. Overall each invested in their people. They knew one clear point…if you don’t water a plant it whithers and oftentimes dies. Same is true with employees – if you don’t cultivate them they will leave, be stagnant or not get the job done well or at all.
Let’s take a page from Mercedes Benz ‘s management who looked inward to take a decisive step – “When management discovered that further cost reductions were unavoidable, the CEO and executive team (28 people total) accepted pay cuts. The tough choices paid off, resulting in a 10% total reduction of labor costs from mid-2009 to year-end. “
What a concept? All companies made tough choices in these rough economic times and still they put their people first, and by doing so were able to maintain their employee base while growing loyalty.
It does start with leadership. If you pave the way, employees will align. However leaders have to be willing to springboard innovation, creativity and lead by example. And you must take the time to engage and generate buy-in. Employees may not necessarily align and take initiative just because you want them to. Take a page from Warren Buffet…he invited shareholders to his company’s annual meeting and promised to play table tennis for spectators and urged them to buy goods and
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