JUST TELL ME HOW TO MANAGE

Attention All Sales managers: Stop Focusing on Revenue

2011-05-26T09:53:00.006-05:00

You can’t manage revenue.

I know you want to, but it just doesn’t work that way. You can only manage the people who develop and deliver the revenue. Manage the people first and the revenue will follow. Guaranteed. If you understand this concept in your bones you can stop reading.

Think about the next one-to-one meeting you have scheduled with Sasha, the seller. Do you usually ask her questions about how she will deliver more, more, more revenue? Or are you focused on helping her change her behavior? As her manager, your questions should mostly start with “how”, not “what”?

I once worked for a manager who walked through the sales office every day at 5pm to look at the pad. As soon as an order was placed every salesperson was expected to write the revenue total on the pad. No surprise – we all hated the pad. That was all he cared about; not us, not our challenging customers, not our competitors and definitely not how to help us generate new ideas…he just cared about the revenue on the pad. My relationship with yellow lined paper has never been the same.

Sales management and revenue delivery are WAR-like experiences. Your sales staff goes out every day to wage war on behalf of you, their manager, and the company (if you're lucky). You cannot wage war inside your office. Inside the office should be where the muscles are developed, the hard questions get asked and answered and most of all, where the new strategies are nurtured and developed. When soldiers come in from the battlefield they need fuel, ideas and TLC.

Attention all sales managers: your sellers need YOU to show them the way. That's the most important part of the job. Do this and they will fight to the death for you and the company. And the revenue will follow.

10 Ways To Give As Good As You Get

2011-03-29T22:38:00.036-05:00

Email.

Maybe english is your third language. Or you're visiting from Uranus where email is new and strange.

Perhaps you come from a faraway land where this newfangled eeeeelectronik mail requires an introduction to good manners.

OK....live long and prosper:

1. If you're the boss don't use email to bully people.

2. If you wouldn’t say it in person, don’t say it in an email.

3. Unreasonable requests via email are experienced even more unreasonably.

4. Emails-back-and-forth are not a conversation. When you have something to SAY, SAY it.

5. Criticism via email is harshness magnified & you are a stupid jerky moron if you don’t believe this. (harsh, right?)

6. Heat expressed via email is HOT; applies to good and bad.

7. Your team shouldn’t have to answer your emails instantly. Do YOU like it when your boss expects instant responses from you?

8. Pause…don’t ‘reply to all’ unless every person on that list really wants to read your answer.

9. If you write like a kid you’ll be treated like one.

10. Read what you write before you hit send. There are no do-overs or take-backs in the mysterious land of the WWW.

Any others??

The ONLY Change That's Real Goes into Parking Meters.

2010-12-31T19:45:00.007-05:00

Here's a radical new way to manage: stop wishing, believing, hoping or expecting that people will change. I try to never say never, but you should permanently take this waste of time and energy off your manager dance card. Here's how:

1. Start with a blank piece of paper and write the names of your direct reports.

2. Under each one, list all the tasks and activities that the person does very well, most of the time. These are their observable and measurable talents. Take your time. Be thorough and thoughtful. Write only behaviors, not concepts. Behaviors are defined by what is actually happening andn not the management concepts that you "believe in". For example,

Don't write this: Angelina has a lot of empathy for her staff. That's a concept.
Write this: Angelina manages her staff as individuals, according to each one's needs and talents. She has an executable plan in place for each employee and she holds them accountable. That's behavior.

3. Select one talent off your list for each person and circle it. There's one criterion for selection: if this talent is put into action MORE OFTEN the business will benefit.

4. Create a plan WITH each employee to utilize this talent more often...measurably more
often – in the first quarter of 2011. That's thirteen weeks of more talent, more often. Wow. Cool.

5. Finally, you must measure the results of this new behavior and one method is to measure the amount of time spent. (You can measure by any means you want, but you must measure).

Eventually, you'll measure results, but first you should measure the increased activity for the new behavior. Each week, the employee should record the amount of time that is devoted to putting this talent into action. The results should be discussed and celebrated weekly, in your one-to-one meetings.

6. Once the behavior is consistently in place you stop measuring time and you start measuring results. At the end of first quarter decide whether the employee should continue to focus on developing this talent or whether the two of you should select a different talent to develop.

This is the powerful and effective management concept of DEVELOPING strengths and managing weaknesses. Next blog topic: the earth shattering difference between developing strengths and managing weaknesses.

Consider this: not once did I ask you to do anything about improving a weakness. Instead, your plan for improvement is to utilize individual strengths more often.

So, which approach will get a better response from your team? Which way would you like to be managed? Which way will deliver the results you need in 2011?

CEO Syndrome. Not Just for CEOs.

2010-10-27T21:58:00.022-05:00

I’m the first to name this recent medical discovery and you read it here first, in the New England Journal of Crummy Management. Sadly, CEO Syndrome is most often diagnosed by others, long before the CEO has any idea that the disease has struck. The CEO will be very resistant to the diagnosis at first and perhaps, permanently. The symptoms of CEO Syndrome are on the lists below.

CEO Syndrome is tricky because the CEO feels no pain; the agony is felt only by others. It starts with a confusing message that is hard to de-code because you won’t hear these actual words: “I’m the CEO and my ideas are right. I’m the expert here. Don’t expect me to listen to or do anything I don’t agree with”. It would be great if the afflicted CEO spoke the truth but they rarely do. Ignore their words and observe their behavior. When you see it, the Syndrome has taken hold. The behavior may look like any of these:

...Asks for debate and discussion but attacks those who do so.
...Tells employees they are empowered but criticizes constantly.
...Behaves nicely to customers but poorly to employees.
...Tells more often than asks.
...Never wrong. Always right. In own mind.
...Big on entitlement and special privileges - for self.
...Emotional outbursts with responses that are not tolerated in others.
...Inconsistent and contradictory behavior. Double standards abound.
...Never wrong. Always right. In own mind. (so nice we listed it twice).
...Frequently dispenses criticism yet rarely seeks or accepts it.

When diagnosed late it causes the CEO to become dictatorial and virtually unaware of others' reactions. Yelling, insulting and threatening are some extreme symptoms.

Complete recovery has a low success rate. First reaction to the diagnosis is often denial which can last, um, forever. In a small number of cases, the CEO will be deeply motivated to kill the Syndrome before it kills the employees and the company. Only then can one hope for long-term recovery.

Self-diagnosis rarely works. You must ask others to weigh in. Look deeply at the pattern of your collective symptoms. Check all that apply:

...Members of your team rarely seek your opinion unless it’s required.
...You don’t get many invitations to join the team for lunch or drinks.
...You’re not “in on stuff”.
...Your door “is always open” but people aren't lining up to come in.
...You Blackberry & take calls in meetings - but nobody else can.
...There are discussions, but your opinion prevails. You always win.
...You talk more than you listen. You tell more than you ask.
...You rarely say, “tell me what you think” without defending yourself.
...People choose their words carefully with you. And you like that.
...People pay you lots of compliments. And you like that.
...You give yourself special privileges. And you really like this.

If you have three or more symptoms you are in danger. Get a check-up; ask others to scan the list and tell you. Five or more and you have CEO syndrome. Seek treatment immediately.

Important alert: your job title doesn’t matter. CEO Syndrome can strike anyone. More and more, it develops early in non-CEO, younger managers. It is especially dangerous and hard to kill when that happens. Seek treatment immediately.

I’m the Boss & I Can Do What I Want.

2010-08-18T09:21:00.004-05:00

Read the title of this post and be honest…have you ever thought that? Are you thinking that right now? Or gawd fubid…have you ever actually said that to someone who works for you? I hope you think that’s a crazy idea, but sadly, there are too many managers who spew out that nonsense on a regular basis. Please believe me – it’s total rubbish.

First, the advice on what to do about it: cut it out. Stop it. Don’t say it ever again. Just stop. In fact, don’t even think it anymore, ever.

Everything about that sentence is bad for your business. (and for you, personally, but that’s a post for another time). It’s also bad for morale, innovation, employee engagement, and your company’s future success. However, if your answer to that question was no, then you can stop reading and go get a latte. But first, send this to someone who needs to read it.

You KNOW this is true: nobody wants to be around someone who thinks like that, let alone manages with that philosophy. What you’re really messaging out there is this, “I’m better than you, I’m smarter than you and I matter more than you do”. Ick, ick, ick…a hundred times ick.

If you still don’t believe me – or worse, if you don’t understand why this is a problem then I suggest you conduct a simple survey. Write that one sentence in an email and send it to ten people you respect. Ask for their opinion. Or – go old school: write it on a piece of paper and post it on the bulletin board in the break room. Or tape it in the rest rooms. Ask for feedback.

Don’t argue with me. Just do it. I’m the boss.

The "B" Word

2010-07-13T15:04:00.009-05:00

Playground bullies can sense fear. Even when they’re just little kids. When you’re a manager you can create fear anytime you want - just because you’re the boss. If you want to know whether you are a bully boss, just ask. If you are you reluctant to ask then we both know the answer is yes. Maybe it’s a big yes or a little one, but yes is still yes. True this: Everything about bullying is bad. In case you need one, here’s a review:

At worst, people probably hate you for it. Not mere dislike, but genuine, Webster-dictionary defined hatred. At best, they just really, really resent and dislike you. NOBODY likes a bully

Hatred is gigantically distracting. Worse than a Facebook, Twitter and eBay distraction combined. It’s probably more like a LinkedIn or Monster distraction because they’re looking for a new job.

Bullying is a power thing. For you, by you and about you. And I promise you this: people laugh at you behind your back because bullying behavior by someone older than 8 years old is ridiculous. And it’s horrible when it’s aimed at you.

It doesn’t work. It serves no purpose. It creates tension and stress. If you believe even a little bit that people matter, then surely you must know how wrong it is to use your power of position as a weapon.

See #2

Here’s the solution: Stop the bullying. Completely and right now. Go to the person you trust most at work, confess your bad behavior and ask for help. Ask to be told when you are bullying. Tell your staff they can go directly to your bully policeperson and report your bullying behavior. When it is told to you the only response allowed is, “I apologize”.

Save yourself. Save your staff. Stop being a bully. Then we can say, “Bully for you”.

Water Water Everywhere!

2010-05-31T22:56:00.005-05:00

Lately, I see more managers engaged in frequent feedback sessions with employees. But too often, some feedback sessions become opportunities for regularly scheduled criticism. I think it should be equal parts of praise and criticism. Always. If we asked your staff would they say that your recipe is 50/50?

Donald O. Clifton, the guru who ran the Gallup Organization for several decades had a simple and powerful way he put this into the workplace. It sounds a little corny, but his method was called "A Drop In The Bucket". He believed that we go to work with an empty "bucket" and mostly, we hope that others help fill it with acknowledgement that our work makes a difference.

Don created notepads shaped like drops of water - about 6" square - and passed them out to everyone in an office. When it was deserved, you write a "drop" of praise for someone - an employee, peer or manager.

The praise should be specific, at least 5 sentences long, and personal. And sign your name. Then, the writer tapes the drop to the person's office, cubicle, desk or chair. Anyplace, as long as it could be seen by others.

At first, I was my usual skeptical self. But our managers liked the idea so we bought the pads and gave one to every employee. And we made one extra request. Each pad had 25 drops and we asked everyone to use up their entire pad in 2 months. Could they - would they - write 25 notes?

The results were fantastic. Amazing, actually.

Their dedicattion to writing the notes was wonderful. But this was better: we'd spy a little and see someone return to their desk and find a new drop. They'd read it, smile and do a quick look around. It was like grade school when you received a valentine from a crush. Big smile.

After a few weeks it was water, water, everywhere!

But the most surprising payoff was around critical feedback. Over time, those drops really were filling everyones' buckets in meaningful ways. And when your bucket is full of water you can lose a cup and it's OK. You barely miss it. In other words, it became easier for managers to deliver criticism because it was offset so perfectly by the drops. Take some water out of the bucket and more showed up.

That's how criticism works. If a bucket is empty there is nothing to take out. If you never receive the praise you deserve then the criticism is hard to take. You can't get water from a stone.

Or an empty bucket.

White Knuckle Management

2010-03-05T11:44:00.003-05:00

My Mom was always a “white knuckle flyer”. She used to walk around in an ascending state of fear as a trip approached, mumbling to herself and completely distracted. I could have painted my room purple and killed the dog, and she wouldn’t have noticed. Once, she asked a stewardess (it was the seventies) if it was possible to get a second seat belt. She gripped those armrests with all her might and truly, her knuckles were milky white the entire time. I swear, I know some managers who seem just as terrified of their own jobs. And while it is perfectly fine to admit a fear of flying, can we make it just as OK to admit a fear of management? There’s a great book called, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. This definitely applies to management.

Is this you? Are there aspects of management that fill you with terror? And it’s your scary little secret? You’re not nuts; you’re smart to be afraid. It IS dangerous out there. But first, you have to admit this to yourself. (And maybe others, but that comes later). Then what can you do about it?

The right person in the right job. Nothing matters more. When you don’t feel confident about delegating decision-making to others, that’s a huge problem. The solution? Become great at hiring. Or at least, improve. There are thousands of resources online. And books, of course. And experts and workshops and management courses. Peter Drucker said that the job of a manager is to coordinate the actions of others in order to deliver results. I love that.

Try letting go of some control. When you have the right staff in place they want to do their jobs. They’re itching to show you how good they are and to earn your approval. When you believe that you have the right people in place you can loosen your grip. Write this on the blackboard 100 times: I cannot do everyone’s job.

Get more, better or different information. Do you have a good method for consistent communiction with your staff? Are you asking the right questions? Do you get actionable answers? Do you get the answers fast enough? If you can’t answer yes to those four questions, you now have an action plan for the next few months. Fix it.

Lower your expectations. Not a joke. When you delegate more, more mistakes will happen. The “others” will not do everything right. But neither do you. If you don’t shift this, how they will grow, learn and improve?

And how will you?

Own The Yes

2009-11-28T23:33:00.004-05:00

How many times did you say YES today? The kind of YES where you agreed to do something for somebody else? Maybe it was a small YES like agreeing to return a call. Maybe you promised to do a small favor or you gave your word to finish a project that’s already overdue. You’re the boss. When you say YES, you should mean it. Even more, when you say YES, you own it.

Let’s face the truth first…do you really mean YES when you say it? Or, are you the guy who doesn’t want to disappoint so you say YES? Or, are you so over-scheduled that, without a doubt, some of your YES answers always turn into a NO?

Employees don’t have the privilege of holding managers accountable. So when you say YES - but they get nothing - they know it’s usually not a good idea to tell you that it’s NO good. In the world of bosses and employees accountability is a one-way street and management is driving. You say YES but they get NO. That’s NO fair.

If someone on your team says YES you expect YES behavior. You expect not to worry about whether you can really count on them. You expect they will tell you if they can’t hit the deadline they promised. Are you willing to make YES a two-way street?

What’s your batting average on saying YES…and doing it? This is easy. When you say YES, mean it. Own it. Do it. NO fail.

Never Ruin an Apology With An Excuse

2009-09-01T23:08:00.005-05:00

I read a question recently on Linkedin.com asking whether managers and leaders should “ever” apologize. My answer is that this guy should apologize for asking such a lame question. Where is it written that apologies are unnecessary once the title of manager is on your business card?

This one is easy. If you do have that business card with that title in your wallet then the rule is this: if you did it, you apologize. First. And quickly. And in a manner that ensures the receiver truly experiences the sincerity of the apology. It can’t be one of those crummy, “I’m sorry you feel bad” wimp-outs. When the receiver willingly forgives you then you really got the job done.

Have you ever personally been wronged and felt there was no reason for an apology? Doubtful. Oh, you may settle to go on without an apology (because you knew you’ll never get it), but apologizing is a life rule, not a management rule. When you have been wronged, you deserve to be righted. When you do wrong, admit it and make amends. When a little kid whines "that's not fair", she's right. Life may not be fair, but the absolute least you can always do is apologize.

An essential requirement for managers is to be a role model. To demonstrate the right behavior to the team. To do unto others - the right way. And to show others the best way to be in charge. When you offend, harm, insult, hurt or do wrong to another – even a mere employee – you fix it. YOU fix it. You FIX IT. Intention be damned. If you did it, apologize.

“It takes a great deal of character strength to apologize quickly out of one's heart rather than out of pity or duty. A person must possess himself and have a deep sense of security in fundamental principles and values in order to genuinely apologize”. Walt Whitman said that, and he lived in the woods, alone.

Action!

2009-07-07T23:54:00.006-05:00

Every so often a management team gets stuck in a rut; that murky sloggy place where for no good reason progress just slows down. Everything takes looooooonger. You discuss the same projects over and over. Nothing much really happens. The pending lists just get a little longer every day. It’s the way you feel during a heat wave when the air conditioning isn’t cranking.

Quick. Schedule an ACTION PLAN meeting.

To make it interesting, take the chairs out of the conference room. Really. Everyone stands. You’ll have more energy in the room and people will work faster so they can go back to their offices and sit down.

At the meeting, each manager presents a specific Action Plan to the group. It has to be for a current project and a timeline is mandatory. Every step in the plan must have the "owners" name. Next, the group improves each plan - with kindness and cheeky sarcasm. Tear it apart – and put it back together again. Make it real and make it better.

Here’s what you’ll get:
1. Action plans galore. Real ones. In writing, for current projects.
2. Better action plans because they have been improved by the team.
3. Momentum. Which should kick off a windstorm of Action Plans. (In fact, you should make sure that it does).

Three months from now, do it again. Do you have a dusty action plan sitting in a drawer?

The "Don't" Interview Secret

2009-06-08T13:37:00.012-05:00

Many good people have recently lost their jobs – and not because of poor performance. Your ad runs once and an email avalanche is the result. How do you decide who to interview? More importantly, how do you decide who you don’t interview?

Use screening questions. A short list of questions that quickly and effectively screens out candidates who just won’t make the cut. And screens in those who deserve the big interview. But the ‘don’ts’ come first.

The goal for the Screen interview is to be short and sweet. It's efficient. And it lasts ten minutes, max; fifteen for someone who is great. It’s a list of focused questions that require brief, specific answers. First, ask the essentials about geography, requirements for education or job-related experience.

Then the fun begins. Ask three questions that focus on the white hot core of successful performance in that job. Questions that require specific answers and illustrate the candidate’s ability to deliver excellent performance. The candidate’s job is to answer with specific examples. Your job is to settle for nothing less than specific examples.

Here's the "don't" interview secret that this post promised. If they have been doing the thing you are asking about then they can provide specifc examples. Dozens of them. If they aren't doing it, their answers will be vague. Doing=telling. Don't settle.

The screening questions have to focus on the results you want. Screening questions are not about skills. They focus on performance.

It's simple: define three results that represent great performance in the job. (And you should already have that list). After you’ve asked your white hot performance questions you'll know whether they should move on to the big interview. Some tips:

1. Time it. In the ten minute screening call you talk one minute and they talk nine.

2. Use a list of questions, in writing.

3. Write down what they say. Explain that you are taking notes and you might pause to catch everything. Or, ask someone else to take the notes so you can really listen. Or, you can use a great website called http://www.freeconfernececall.com/ to record the calls for free and download the sound files. It's all free.

4. Explain how it works: “this is a screening interview to determine whether you might be a good fit for the job. Please give short and specific answers, but long enough to answer completely. Be as specific as you can”. (And you'll learn whether they can follow directions).

5. Set aside an hour and do five screeners in a row. You will get good at it.

But before you start...what are the three white hot performance results that define great performance in your job?

Fantasyland is in Orlando

2009-04-29T22:23:00.010-05:00

Here is the Fantasyland definition of management: expecting people to show up, memorize their job descriptions and “just do their job”. In other words, it's not real. And here is another pretend definition of management: any sort of nonsense that includes things like hitting the number or growing profit. Revenue and profit are the results of great management; hitting the number does not define anyone as a great manager. That makes you a great profiteer.

A more accurate, real-life definition of management is this: doing what is needed to help talented people succeed. It's kind of broad and certainly vague, I know, but it’s absolutely the right starting point.

You have to be very specific about the definition of success in your own management job before you can possibly help anyone else succeed. So, what is it that you actually DO to help people succeed? How would you explain your job to your grammy? Or a third grader? Or more interesting, how do you explain your job to your staff? How would your staff explain your job to others?

This is a really useful exercise…complete these five simple sentences. And then have your employees do the same.

1. I help my employees to DO the following:

2. I am responsible for my employees learning how to DO this:

3. I recently solved this important problem for my team:

4. My team is focused on this important goal:

5. The most important result my team will accomplish this year is:

You , and each member of your team should be able to finish those sentences. And all the answers should be the same.

How To Operate - YOU

2009-04-04T15:11:00.010-05:00

Operating instructions come with every electronic item we buy. Even the simple stuff. The manual for an iron shows how to plug it into the wall. Flight attendants still show us how to insert the strap into the seatbelt clip. (Why do they still demonstrate that??)

We might not read the instructions but we expect to receive them. For everything. Those manuals are like tiny insurance policies: “I can read it when it breaks”.

You know where this is going. And it makes sense, doesn’t it? Managers should come with a set of instructions. Seriously. I recommend that you personalize the sample below and distribute it freely. Make it short. One page. Very user friendly.

USER’S MANUAL FOR (your name here). When you know how I operate – or, even better, how to operate me – I will function at my optimal level of performance & communication. Utilize me correctly and I can function at maximum wattage.

ON/Off SWITCH. When I’m under pressure, I get really focused. Intense. No jokes. I ask a lot questions and I expect answers. I will continue to ask “why”.

TIMING. Don’t bring important issues to my attention in the hall. Or casually. I like knowing what to expect, and I expect you to be prepared with facts.

COMMUNICATION. I respect people who can explain their point of view and back up their decisions with information and data. Stand up for yourself.

MALFUNCTIONS. I am direct. I move fast. When I ask a question, answer it; “I don’t know, but I’ll find out” always works. I won’t tolerate blaming or lying. If you did it, admit it.

FEEDBACK. I don’t give enough. You’re doing fine unless you hear differently. Feel free to ask, but expect the whole truth.

BATTERY LIFE. I expect everyone to do whatever it takes to deliver results. Every employee willing to do every job. And do your own, to the best of your ability.

EXTENDED BATTERY LIFE. I don’t delegate enough. Lighten my load, do a good job and you will always have a place on my team.

If the Shoe doesn’t fit…

2009-03-20T19:03:00.006-05:00

Here is the NOT definition of management: spending way too many of your coaching hours with under-performing employees. The ones who improve just barely enough to stave off the reality that they should be fired. Are you doing that? Why?

The wounded state of our economy is an opportunity to de-hire the employees who don't meet the standard of right person right job. The ones who are not meeting expectations. The ones who struggle with the skills they need to succeed. The ones who struggle.

Are you managing out of 'maybe'? As in, maybe she will improve when I explain this...again. Or maybe she will do a better job of meeting deadlines if you help write her schedule.

She probably will make some progress, but is improvement what you want? You just nodded, “yes, I want improvement”. Zzzzzz! Reject buzzer because the right answer is no, no no. You can’t – and shouldn’t – settle for some improvement. Aim for great. Or wonderful. Or fantastic. Aim for A level performance. With every employee

With continued coaching she probably will improve her performance. By some amount. But “improvement” won’t make the big sales. Improvement won’t finish the projects on time, every time. And as long as you settle for little bits of improvement, your definition of management will be more like a tutor than a coach. You'll get small fixes. Little adjustments. A bit of improvement. No greatness. No A’s.

Management skill #1 is the ability to put the right person in the right job and management skill #1-A is the ability to de-hire the wrong person at the right time. You put them in the job and now it's your job to take them out.

What’s True

2009-02-23T15:48:00.002-05:00

Managers have to be completely committed to the truth. You set yourself up for great success as a leader when your people know that you will not accept anything less than the truth. And that this standard is applied to both the incoming and outgoing.
We are all incredibly busy. We get distracted by the little fires that spontaneously combust every hour of the day. We make poor decisions when we don’t take the time to determine what is really true. We invent perception, half-truths, denial and exaggeration. We guess. And we get good at making excuses.
As a manager, you set the standard for performance. Your team will follow your lead. Start by telling yourself the truth and insisting that those around do the same. No more enhancements. No wiggle room. No more great stories killed by an eyewitness. When you require the truth you can accept it, analyze it and do something.
Pick something that you have avoided dealing with. Uncover what is true about that situation. Do something and move on.

Better Communication.

2009-01-22T12:27:00.015-05:00

'Better communication' is possibly the most overused phrase in business. And probably the #1 most desired outcome. How to do it? The answers fill thousands of books and websites, but here’s a new rule for communication that just might be an answer for you:

The person initiating the communication is responsible for the communication.

This is about style, not content. This is about what you can do to successfully communicate your message to the person receiving it. When you are the initiator you own the way in which a communication gets started. It's about the sender and receiver, and this is about the communications where you are the sender.

This new way of thinking requires a new behavior. One where you take a little more time to plan your communication. And if you think that this sounds too tedious, I suggest that a pattern of unsuccessful communications is even more tedious.

When Hector talks to Blanche to about a new sales idea first he plans the content and then he plans for Blanche's communication style. How does she like to receive information or new ideas? Does she like to hear the whole story or just the facts? Does she make quick decisions or will she want time to digest a new proposal? Think sender and receiver.

When better communication is the goal, rank doesn’t matter. So, when the Big Cheese talks to the sales manager about a new way to close business, the Cheese should mull over what he knows about the sales manager's communication style. And offer his communication for the best possible reception. Think sender and receiver.

For some, this is radical thinking. For some, rank matters more. For most, however, being outranked is not a magic key to better communication. The reason for the Big Cheese or any manager to do it this way is because it works. Think sender and receiver.

Try this: the management team meets to discuss each one's preference for communication. Think sender and receiver. Each person makes two lists about him/herself:
1.
How I usually send my communication. Make it specific such as concepts v. details or fast v. slow.
2.
How I like to receive communication. Facts v. story or directives v. options.

Discuss these preferences as a team. Ask questions. Get specific. Practice a little. Write each person’s preferences on some index cards and everyone gets a set. Laminate them. And use them.

Think sender and receiver. If you initiate it, you own it.

The Big Foam Finger

2009-01-15T23:58:00.003-05:00

I think that every manager should go out and get one of those big foam fingers you see at sporting events. In the office, let’s call it the Flying Finger of Blame.

There is an epidemic at the workplace called the blame game, where blaming someone/anyone/everyone else is now the norm. And it doesn’t work, of course.

Instead, the next time something undesirable happens, grab hold of that big foam Finger of Blame and point it right at your own head. And say, “what was MY role in that event?” Or, “what can I do differently next time?” Or even, “what am I missing here?” Aim your first three questions at you.

The foam finger is kinda funny but pointing it at yourself is a seriously transformational act inside an organization. Think about your boss for a moment – it would just be great if she pointed that big ole finger at herself instead of your and yours. And your CEO – what if he opened the next staff meeting with something like, “here’s what I need to do better in the future to help us hit our revenue targets”. Wow.

Think of the last thing that went wrong. What was your first thought? If it had to do with anyone other than yourself then this is your moment. This is your opportunity to turn that ship around. Roll back to that event – what should have been your first thought?

What will be your first thought – and your first sentence next time?

NOT the Other Guy

2008-12-28T01:04:00.003-05:00

Here is a suggestion for a really useful 2009 Resolution: from now on, whenever something happens (that you don’t like), here is a new/different question that you should ask first. And this is an easy resolution to keep because you ask this one question every time, no matter what has happened or regardless of “who did it”. This question never changes.

You ask, “What can I do to improve this situation?”

This is slightly radical because it is the opposite of what we often do, which is to find someone or something else to blame. This resolution offers you the opportunity to create a completely new approach where there is no blame. Just responsibility. And that would be yours. You get to be the one who takes responsibility for finding the solution.

Blaming is historical. Blaming keeps you stuck in the past and stops you from moving forward. This new question works because it is the opposite of blame. This question is completely about the future and what will happen next. This question will free you and your team to find a true solution.

Don’t wait for someone else to do it. Don’t wait for someone else to change their behavior or “get better” or do something differently. When you choose this new perspective of asking “what can I do?” you will see new solutions, new participants and new options. You will feel empowered (sorry for the cliché) because you will be the one to take action. Right away.

In just a few weeks our new President will certainly offer us some inspirational challenges on his inauguration day. But let’s not wait for Barack’s message; instead, let’s look back to JFK. He challenged us to “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”.

It’s corny, I know, but let’s take that message to ourselves and our teams and our businesses this year and “Ask not what your company can do for you, but what you can do for your company”.

Shoe Hurling

2008-12-15T01:23:00.004-05:00

I saw some video today of George Bush in Iraq. In the middle of a press conference some nutty (or pissed off) Iraqi journalist threw his shoe at him from the back of the room. And then he threw his other shoe! Wow. It was easily a twenty-foot hurl. My first thought was, “that is truly an old school, basic method of assault”. No technology, no anthrax, no complex scheme. Shoes.

About a minute later someone asked what I “do”. I said, “I do that”.

That guy did two things right. Both totally basic.
First, if his goal was to get everyone’s attention he succeeded.
Next, he used what he had. A basic tool. Nothing fancy.

The Iraqi wacko was on to something. Let's follow his lead. Do something dramatic to get everyone’s attention. One thing that shows you are serious about growing your business next year.

Go to work in a costume. Or meet at a weird location and kidnap your team for the day. Or create a “wow” incentive program where everyone can choose their own reward if they hit their target. Or throw a shoe at your boss. (Symbolically, of course)

Once you have their attention, ask each person for their one “big hairy audacious goal” (BHAG) for 2009. Or, assign everyone a different skill to master by the end of 2009. In sales, ask each seller to a master one sales category.

Get everyone’s attention and focus on the basics.

Annual (?) Reviews

2008-12-09T20:54:00.006-05:00

The idea of annual reviews makes no sense. Does an annual review really mean that formal, thoughtful, actionable feedback is provided to an employee once a year? Actually, sadly, it does. Yet, consistent research that says employees crave more frequent and specific feedback. (www.Gallup.com) Even when managers believe they are doing it right, the results clearly show that it needs to get better.

As mayor of New York City in the eighties, Ed Koch was famous for uttering one sentence consistently. Everywhere he went he would ask people, “How am I doing?” Koch said that by asking that question he knew what New Yorkers really thought about his job performance. And the answers to that question made him better.

Do you get consistent and specific feedback from your boss? Your employees? Your peers? How do you know what you are doing well? And not so well? If feedback is not consistent and specific then it doesn’t count. And annual feedback definitely doesn’t count.

The #1 management skill to be developed is the ability to put the right person in the right job. #2 is the ability to help your employees learn and grow. And that happens via consistent and specific feedback.

I offer you a slam dunk guarantee: when you consistently and specifically tell Sally how she is doing many good things will begin to happen:
1. You immediately ensure that Sally is working on the right things.
2. You and/or Sally can create a plan to correct what is not working.
3. You and Sally can find ways to help her utilize her strengths more often that her weaknesses.
4.You can quickly correct what Sally is doing wrong.
5. And most importantly, you will show Sally that you care about her, and that is likely to make Sally care even more about doing a great job.

Spend time consistently – weekly – giving employees specific feedback and performance will improve. It doesn’t matter that you haven’t been doing it. What matters is that you start. And you can start by asking your team, “how am I doing?”

Are you Brand X?

2008-11-15T00:45:00.006-05:00

Companies spend billions trying to create compelling brands. Jello. Kleenex. Hellmann’s Mayonnaise. People have brands, too, and as a manager you surely have a brand in the eyes of your employees. Whether you know it or not.

I recently went to my official, well organized digital card storage file (actually, a pile of business cards in an Altoids tin) and I randomly grabbed five. I wrote down the first word that came to mind for each person:

Rude.
He is an insurance sales guy who continually calls me, despite the fact that I’ve told him to stop. He just doesn’t get it. Or worse, he probably doesn’t care. I would go out of my way to un-refer him.

RockStar.
My former boss; a guy I’ve worked for twice. Great guy, great character, brilliant, handsome and a terrific leader. (Not necessarily in that order).

SalesMachine.
Beth is the most talented salesperson I’ve ever met. She has it all: a love of people, great marketing know-how, original ideas and impressive follow through.

Emperor.
This CEO doesn’t get it. He orders people around, criticizes “just because he can” and although he means well, he causes eyeballs to roll and heads to shake in every meeting he runs.

Defensive.
A company founder who has great intentions but can’t take a lick of feedback if it doesn’t agree with her point of view.

Ouch. They surely wouldn’t want to be labeled with just one word, but branding is funny that way. One word can nail it. So what is your brand, according to your team? Even if you think you know, are you willing to really find out?

I recommend that you use one of the 360 assessment tools, widely available online. Or, use a free Web-based survey tool. Or, your management team can participate together in a “What’s My Brand?” exercise. Regardless of how you do it, it’s important to learn from your employees what you do well - and poorly - and how they really perceive you.

Once you know, you can develop an authentic management style that utilizes your strengths. One way to start is to clearly let people know what to expect when they work for you:

You’ll always know where you stand with me.
You can count on me to meet with you once a week, one to one.
I believe in a fun workplace, and here’s how we’ll do it.
I will invest time and money on learning and training for all of us.
We will give one another feedback formally, at least once a month.

Brand X is generic.
Instead, you can decide to be the Hellman’s Mayonnaise of management (my very favorite brand)…special, delicious and way better than all the others.

Performance v. Presence

2008-11-07T00:17:00.006-05:00

I don’t understand why some managers resist hiring talented people because they want some form of flex time. Or want to work from home. If you've already jumped on the flex bus, that’s the right thinking. Because in this economy (and forever more, most likely) you have to attract and keep talent in every way possible.

I challenge you to ask yourself, “am I more comfortable hiring someone I will see in the office every day, rather than managing a talented person who is “out of sight?

There are thousands of talented people who have stepped out of traditional jobs (often to raise a family, etc.) who are available only to work flex hours. If you evaluate them on performance rather than presence you can create an entirely new kind of team.

Let’s troubleshoot this:

If you do it, will everyone want a flexible schedule?

Maybe. And I encourage you to consider it. Which positions truly require an employee to be in the office every day from 9-5? Which do not? Maybe it would be better to have your office staffed 7am-7pm, with a staggered schedule.

How do I decide who gets a flexible schedule?

You could offer flex as an earned privilege; as long as performance meets expectations the high performers retain the privilege of the flex option; For those positions where flex time is not practical, employees can be offered the opportunity to earn a different privilege. Based on performance, of course.

What if it doesn’t work?

This is a great opportunity to create group buy-in for a highly desirable benefit. And incredibly, it's a big motivator that costs your company nothing. Yes, it has to be well managed, but no more so than traditional teams. And it’s great for morale because flex teams often perform better in order to protect and retain the privilege.

Before you begin, set specific expectations with the group as to how you will evaluate the success of the flex. Initiate an open discussion an let everyone weigh in. Fears, concerns, the right stuff and the wrong stuff.

C’mon. Give it a try. You just need to be flexible.

Feedback: Outgoing

2008-10-31T22:06:00.004-05:00

Outgoing feedback is what you offer your staff to help them to perform better. Frequently, it's delivered in a casual way and often unscheduled. Sometimes there’s an annual review. If that’s how you do it, then this is worth improving. Your team needs feedback that’s ongoing, specific and scheduled.

Maybe you think your feedback system is just fine. But, if you want to know whether this actually needs improvement, that’s great, because feedback is all about asking.

The purpose of feedback is to help your people be more successful. That’s a little vague, but you can get specific, fast. Your opportunity is to get started and ensure that it continues to happen regularly…and well done.

One caution: be careful that your feedback is more than criticism. It’s easy to get into that rut because managers sometimes think their role is to provide never-ending corrections. But there’s much more in the feedback bucket than criticism and corrections; there are questions, observations, praise, tweaks, enhancements, what-ifs, edits, revisions and more praise.

I have read over and over that (second only to money), the #1 thing that employees want at work is more time with their manager. Even if you don't like your manager I bet that you would like more one-to-one time with her.

I think that frequent, scheduled one-to-one meetings are practically holy. Their reason for being is feedback. In one-to-ones employees spend time with managers who are focusing only on them; their problems, successes, goals and wishes. Wow.

You’re a manager - and perhaps you’re also an employee who reports to a manager. Do you get enought time with your boss? Would you be more successful if you met one-to-one, frequently, with your manager? Would it help you?

Just say yes to feedback.

Are You Nailing Up Plywood?

2008-10-26T13:36:00.006-05:00

"It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory."

W. Edwards Deming wrote that iconic line in the sixties and it could have been written last week. This was illustrated dramtically when Alan Greenspan recently apologized to America for not knowing that the cowboy bankers were ruining thousands of lives.

“Greenspan said that he (and others) had believed that lending institutions would do a good job of protecting their shareholders; they are in a ‘state of shocked disbelief at the outcome. They were shocked that when they removed the referees from the Wall Street hockey game and allowed the players to regulate themselves, the result was chaos on the ice!"

It occurred to me that management often plays the role of referees for their teams. We make the rules and when needed, we also need the foresight to change the rules. (A privilege that sports referees don't have, by the way)

When business is booming we keep zooming. We say far too often that we are “crazy busy”, and planning for the future is that thing we’ll work on tomorrow. Well, an ideal time to plan for the future is when everyone else is worrying about how to nail plywood on the windows and survive the impending storm. Put down your hammer, gather the team in the storm cellar and get to work.

I believe that our current economic condition is a gift for you and your team; it’s the gift of time. It’s time NOW to referee a different game. And you're the ref.

Let’s say you run a $10million business and your vision is to grow to $20mil.A bad economy does not have to douse that dream. Thousands of businesses will grow during a down economy and yours can be one of them. Yours should be one of them.

Gather your team and declare that you will create a plan to solve the problems that you’ve been thinking about solving. You might start by replacing the people who are a bad fit for their position. Or, work to improve accountability. Create a set of definitive operational metrics or take your systems implementation to 99%. Pick one. Or more.It’s the season of budgets and planning, and you can create your clearest, strongest and most actionable plan.

Gather your team and your calendars and block out your planning sessions. Get a smarter before you start – buy a book, visit some websites or start reading blogs. www.timberry.com is a favorite.

Make time now to improve your operating plan. Do it carefully - with a method, with team participation and keep it planted in reality. Create criteria and use it. Then…get the team back in the room and ask the hardest questions you can ask.

It’s time to unwrap your gift.

Right Person Right Job

2008-09-21T22:54:00.004-05:00

This is nothing new. You've read it, heard it, discussed it, debated it and you have surely tried it. Right person - right job. And sometimes you get it right. And sometimes you get it wrong. And wrong. And wrong. And wrong.

I say this endlessly, but I think the #1 skill that a manager must develop is learning how to put the right person in the right job. That is the definition of a great hire. And if you want to develop that skill, the first step you must take is to commit. Commit to making great hires as your #1 focus for skill development this year. Really commit.

Imagine that t's one year from today and I invite you to imagine the following accomplishment: you have become famous in your city or industry as a company that puts the right people in the right jobs. You became famous for right person-right job because word got around that management is great at exactly that.
You became famous for it because talented people want to work at a company where they are surrounded by other talented people.

This is difficult. And it takes a while. And you will have to face your current state of wrong person-wrong job in a number of areas. But wowee, the investment will be worth every hour and every dollar that you invest in this.

I offer a money back guarantee.

Talented people succeed in spite of the things that get in their way. That includes obstacles like ugly offices, run down buildings, lousy equipment, insufficient resources, old products and even crummy management. When people are doing the work they were meant to do they make magic things happen.

You know this is true: there really are project managers, secretaries, line chefs, customer service managers and salespeople who love their work. If you know one, ask about this. I think that's the answer you will get.

I implore you to go down this road. I beg you. In fact, I beseech you to BECOME that company. The one that's famous for right people - right jobs. Read these two classic books and you will be on your way to fame and fortune:

SOAR WITH YOUR STRENGTHS by Donald O. Clifton and Paula Nelson
FIRST, BREAK ALL THE RULES: WHAT THE WORLD'S GREATEST MANAGERS DO DIFFERENTLY by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman.

It starts with you. Are you doing the work you were meant to do?

#1

2008-09-07T20:04:00.009-05:00

Pretend that it’s one year from today and you are throwing a party to celebrate the #1 accomplishment that your team pulled off this year. You are celebrating ONE GREAT THING….the #1 thing that you asked them to deliver. The #1 thing where you asked your team to put a crazy intense focus. And they did it.

Back to the present. You and your team have started working on that ONE THING and you will work on it all year. You’ve asked questions, planned, strategized, made lists and identified goals to make it happen. Below are a few more questions - of a different type - to make sure that party happens.

Do your key people know that this is your #1 expectation?

If you asked each one to talk about #1, would everyone give the same answer?

Does your #1 get “enough” focus, time, energy, learning, thinking and doing from each person?

Do you spend “enough” time talking to your people about #1; finding new ways to make it happen and doing all that you can to make it happen?

Does everyone in the company (division) know about #1?

Can everyone talk about #1 the way you want them to?

Have you spent time with everyone who has a role in accomplishing #1?

Have you allocated “enough” money?

If not, why not?

It’s a year from today. Time is running out.

Making Great Hires

2008-08-11T23:25:00.007-05:00

It’s time to play that really fun business game called
“Making Great Hires”.

Question: do you know that hiring well is the most important skill that a managers must do well?
Answer: If yours is yes, then you will get all the money.

Making great hires means: matching employees and new hires with jobs that match up with their natural strengths. And it means hiring based on talent first, not just skills or experience. And it means setting the right expectations and defining outcomes you want.

If (when) managers become very good at making great hires the business can make mistakes in other areas and still be successful. Right person - right job means that people are hired to do the work they were meant to do.

How often have you experienced really great customer service? Or been sold something in a way that felt right? Or had a teacher who made learning fun? Or a boss who made work effortless? Those are examples of right person - right job.

Heresy: your #1 job as a manager is not to simply make money. That is the outcome of your job. Your #1 is to put the right people in the right jobs.

Do you know how?

Are You Popular?

2008-07-21T22:33:00.008-05:00

This topic is often debated with fire and brimstone (what is brimstone?) And I seem to hold a minority opinion. Here it is: I absolutely believe that a manager can be both popular AND effective.

There's an old saying; “management is not a popularity contest”. Au contraire, dear managers. It is a contest, but it's also true that popularity is not the only thing that matters. There are additional ingredients in the management soup, as well.

The definition of popular literally means to be regarded with favor, approval or affection. It means that people like you. And popularity matters a great deal if you want employees that are truly engaged in their work.

It matters because people rarely do excellent work if they don’t "want to". And they surely don’t do outstanding, over-the-top work if they don’t want to. Ergo, if they don’t like you, the “wanna factor” plummets.

Important disclaimer: this is not about the popularity to be gained from buying lunch, drinks or their affection.

Let's go real life here. Think about a favorite teacher from your distant past. Or a great manager for whom your worked. Somehow, almost magically, did they make it so your "wanna factor" was high? I bet they helped you become the best version of yourself.

One of my tenets for managers is "Thou shalt remember that people don't work for companies; people work for people" Bash the Manager is a favorite workplace game, but you can change that game. One way to grow your popularity is to deliver on the basics.

And in case you’ve forgotten, here are a few basics :

provide specific feedback on a regular basis
set clear performance expectations and put those expectations in writing
the right person in the right job.
make sure that people know they have the opportunity to learn and grow.

Your style can be low-key, socially inept, introverted, not adorable and even un-charming. But I promise that you will be a popular manager if you deliver on those basics every day.

Tim Russert

2008-06-23T22:19:00.003-05:00

I was stunned by the way so many people across our country were broken-hearted over the death of Tim Russert. I surprised myself as I became weepy every time I saw or heard a reference in those first few days. It can’t be just because we were both born in Buffalo, (even though Tim made it ok for me to come out of the Buffalo closet). Tim made Buffalo kinda cool. I stress kinda.

I have a theory: I think that so many people experienced Russert’s death as a personal loss mostly because he was the real deal. Yup, he was smart, really great at his job, funny, reliable, respectful, relentless, clever in the right way and so much more. But Russert formed a rare kind of connection with millions of people right through the damn TV. Almost as if he was a real friend. From high school maybe. My friend. Your friend.

I believe that Russert's remarkable connection came from his genuineness. It just poured out of the guy. I think we are all starved for people who are the real deal, and not just on TV. He gave us the best version of himself everyday, so let’s take a few management lessons from Tim.

Are you vigilant about being respectful to everyone?
Are you willing to do a sufficient amount of prep every week so you have all the info you need to do your job?
Are you relentless about the things you and your team need to get the job done?
Do you keep your word?
Do you ask (many) questions in order to fully understand any situation?
If you happen to be the smartest person in the room do you ensure that others never feel less smart than you?
And do you go to work every day in service to others?

Ask For Help

2008-06-08T20:46:00.006-05:00

It is just so difficult to make even the smallest changes in our behavior…and to make them stick. There's loads of research on this topic and in real life, I think it’s almost impossible to truly change anything unless you are willing to ask for – and accept some help.

You know this is true. We have to ask for help is because awareness alone doesn’t magically cause unwanted behavior to change. Which is so globally unfair. I've always like the tenet, “the truth shall set you free”. Unfortunately, awareness of the truth doesn’t guarantee that anything will change. In fact, that new truth or that new awareness…it’s only the beginning.

Ongoing debate: I hold the opinion that it’s extraordinarily rare when a person truly changes an aspect of himself. Behavior can surely change and rational thought changes, of course, but most of us will always fight against some strands of DNA that push hard towards unwanted behavior. We are wired to do it. We don't really change.

However, in the name of change I offer a small challenge: write down this question and tape it to your computer: What am I doing differently? And hey, that's the first something different you can do).

Finally, the hardest part for many of us is simply asking for help. There are thousands of pages of research proving that behavioral change is far more successful when the changee asks for help. So, start by asking for help from just one person at work. Someone who likes you and wants you to succeed.

You might use some version of this, “I have become aware that I interrupt people far more than I ever thought. I know that it’s rude and I now understand that it makes some people feel bad. I want to stop but I need some help to keep my awareness high. When you see me interrupt, please signal me. We’ll come up with something”.

The truth shall set you free.

What is too close?

2008-05-22T18:14:00.001-05:00

Why do employees so often feel like management is on one team and they are on another? As if they live in two different countries and each is speaking a different language?

A truly unproductive idea that many of us have been taught is that managers should never get too close to their people. I think that one is really wrong thinking. What exactly is too close? What would that really look like? Does that mean you would care too much? What bad outcome would occur if you were too close?

I have heard this answser: “if I get too close to my people they’ll forget I’m the boss”. Really?? Is that what you really believe?? I have never known or heard of an employee who was confused as to who their boss it. I think that everyone knows who their boss is every single day.

It is a widely documented fact that employees work harder and better when they believe that someone cares about their growth and performance at work. (http://www.gallup.com/consulting/52/Employee-Engagement.aspx) And that someone is almost always a manager.

Get close to your people. Talk to them. Often. Create genuine rapport. Ask questions. Listen to the answers. Ask more questions. Take action on their answers. In that way, you will naturally inspire people to “want” to do their best. And then some.

CH-ch-ch-changes

2008-05-19T20:16:00.003-05:00

Do you think of yourself as a manager who skillfully leads the team through change? If your answer is yes, what is the last change you led? And how do you know whether you did a good job.

It’s really hard to lead or manage change, regardless of whether you “like” change or not. Lots of managers will say that they like change, but in real life, it’s the act of changing that they resist. To me, a true change agent is the manager who leads the staff through the desert of change. And hopefully, it won’t take 40 years of wandering.

Managing change requires a mountain of skill. And the “Don’ts” are as important as the “Dos”. A few “Don’ts” for change management:

Don’t tell people “you gotta find a way”. When I used to hear that my first thought was always, “YOU find the way and tell us about it”. It’s your job to work with your team and offer them HOW to find the way.

Don’t suggest that you have all the answers. Ask for feedback and help.

Don’t forget that the staff experiences the change very differently from management. Increase the level of communication so you understand exactly what they are going through.

Don’t be rigid. Change management requires you to change…along the way.

Don’t lie. About anything. Tell people every shred of information you can. Tell them consistently. And tell them what you don’t know.

Hiring is Hard

2008-05-06T00:30:00.003-05:00

Hiring is always hard. Hiring well is even harder. Really hard.

One of our clients has finally committed to radically changing the way he hires and step one is the use of hiring tools such as DISC. Actually using the info from DISC is hard, too. Because the results often tell him something he doesn’t want to hear: the candidate is not a fit for the job.

Hiring tools have been used for decades. The good ones are expensive and worth it. They are the real thing. When they are used well they absolutely improve your ability to hire someone who is the RIGHT FIT for the job.

Hiring well is everything. If you aren't working to develop your hiring skills, start now. Go online and start googling.

I'd like to write a Mastercard ad for hiring tools:

Help wanted ads: $1000
Management time spent interviewing: $3000
Tools that prevent you from hiring the wrong person: priceless.

Just Like the Scouts

2008-04-30T22:37:00.002-05:00

Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts each have a motto. A motto is a set of behaviors that can be counted on. A motto is a foundation that scouts (or managers) can rely on if they get off track or lose their way. The Scouts’ motto is a promise and a motto is not vague.

We grow up…get a job…and we change it from motto to mission statement, but it’s really the same thing. Even if your business has a mission statement I think that every manager should have a personal motto. It’s what you stand for. And when you are clear about your foundation your staff benefits from that clarity. Everyone benefits.

I like mottos better than mission statements. Mottos are personal. A motto tells others what you can expect of me.

A company says:
“Our mission is to deliver the best customer service possible and to strive for happy customers. We really care!” Sorry. That means nothing to me.

A manager’s motto might be:
I promise to tell you the truth, provide sincere feedback and to help you grow your skills.

Every manager should identify their personal motto, hang it on the wall, talk about it and deliver on the promise of your motto.

Self Scan

2008-04-21T02:34:00.001-05:00

Maybe things aren’t going so well at work these days. Out of the blue, a new idea pops into your head: is it time to go? (This is where the scary music gets loud in the movie to warn us that something bad is about to happen). Then it happens. You’re online and you take just one little fast glance at “a few listings on Monster.com”. Stop. Don’t go there. Literally.

Instead, I suggest a different kind of choice: how about a self scan instead of a new job scan? How about a better you instead of a better job? If I asked your boss – or your staff – these five questions would you like the answers?

Does Molly come to work every day with a fully engaged attitude?
Does she ask for feedback about her performance?
Does Molly contribute to a happy and productive atmosphere?
Is she a valuable member of the team?
Does Molly contribute to your ability to do a good job?

The ‘best you’ choice requires that you to stop looking outside at the things in your way like new competitors or a bad economy, or start looking inside. At your talents. Identify the things you do well and do more of them.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Our chief want in life is somebody who will make us do what we can”. I say, do it for yourself.

The Last Lecture

2008-04-06T23:03:00.004-05:00

Have you watched “The Last Lecture” on YouTube? Or Oprah? Or everywhere? Here it is...http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3633975 . I encourage you to take 45 minutes and watch the whole enchilada. Pausch is a wildly popular professor at Carnegie Mellon and this really was his last lecture, delivered last September. Professor Randy Pausch suffers from untreatable pancreatic cancer.

He offers numerous essential messages such as follow your childhood dreams, live your best life, let your kids paint their bedrooms and brick walls exist for a reason. He tells funny, insightful and illuminating stories.

The reason I am asking you to watch is not because of this particular story. It’s because part of your job as a manager – a big part of your job – is to inspire others. Not to merely lead or manage or direct, but to exhilarate, arouse and invigorate those around you.

Isn't that one of the things we truly long for in life? Someone or something that will help us to become the best person we can be. A way to feel deep satisfaction in the place that most of us spend 50 or more hours every week. You can give that gift to your team. And to yourself.

Accept this request. Take the challenge. Do at least one thing every week that sparks you and you will naturally begin to set aglow those around you. It's easy....watch a video on YouTube, read a book, visit websites, read a new magazine, find a blog that is clever and ask people all around you to tell you their stories. Inspiration is everywhere if you just look.

All You Gotta Do Is Ask - Part II

2008-04-01T22:04:00.004-05:00

It is absurd, crazy, dumb and totally absent of common sense when a hiring manager doesn’t call a candidate’s references. There is absolutely no excuse to justify skipping this essential step.
Puh-lease become evangelical about calling references. I promise it will pay off huge for you every time.

Here’s how it’s done:
1.
Explain to the candidate that your goal is to speak with a minimum of four references. You expect her help to ensure that the references take and/or return your calls.
2.
Call ahead and book a phone appointment with the reference and ask for 15 minutes of their time.
3.
Write a list of questions. Each one should be about what the candidate does, says or believes.
4.
Take notes. Or put the call on speakerphone and have someone else take notes. (You think you’ll remember, but you won’t). Write down what the reference says (not your perceptions).
5.
Push for specific answers and examples. Say things like, tell me more, please give me an example and can you explain that further.
6.
Listen for tone of voice (are the answers enthusiastic)? Listen for important pauses (as in uh oh, how should I answer that)?
7.
Don’t stop until you’ve spoken with four references. Yes, these are people who will say nice things, but developing your skill as an interviewer will go a long way toward revealing the truth.

All Ya Gotta Do Is Ask – Part I

2008-03-27T23:25:00.007-05:00

I learned today that a sales manager who used to work on my team – a woman that I had to unfortunately de-hire – just went to work for a guy that I know pretty well. I am baffled. It makes no sense. How is it possible that this smart guy hired her without calling me??

Is this how it goes now?
1. Nice to meet you
2. Tell me how great you are
3. Ok, I believe you
4. You’re hired.

If my old pal didn’t bother to call me for a reference on Ms. De-hire, I seriously doubt that he called anyone.

Hiring rule #1: calling references is required because
Candidates deliberately lie. (Sometimes).
Candidates have a exaggerated self-perception. (Often).
Candidates are good at interviewing and bad at actually working. (Too often).
YOU might not be the Tiger Woods of interviewing. (ikely).
You might find out that the candidate is truly fantastic. (Once in a while).
You can reasonably predict how the candidate is likely to behave in your job. (If you’re lucky).
And crazy people never seem crazy during the interview. (I speak from experience).

More and more, lawyers advise that providing a reference is asking for trouble. Call anyway. You might get lucky.

Part II on reference checking in my next post.

THE List

2008-03-23T21:33:00.001-05:00

Do you have a long list? It’s a secret list that contains all the wrong things that your company, your staff, your senior management or your assistant foist upon you every day. If you named your list, it would be titled, “All the things that are wrong at work”.

Bad news: If have that list – even if it’s short - then you are a blamer. If the list is long, you’re a blamer AND you’re behaving like a martyr. You know…“Nobody works as hard as me”. Or, “here’s another stupid thing they did”. What if you stopped complaining and attempted to fix all the things that are wrong??

Blaming is tricky because technically, you’re probably correct. And worse, blamers hardly ever see themselves that way. You know that this is absolutely unacceptable behavior at work. (Or anywhere, actually). When your staff sees and hears this behavior they follow. They start complaining. They think it’s ok to just whine.

There’s a preacher in Kansas who became fed up his complaining parishioners that he started a movement called “A Complaint Free World”. It’s the real thing. http://www.acomplaintfreeworld.org/ . Oprah, The Today Show, all of it.

He challenges people to one little commitment: NO complaining for 21 days. Wear a silicone bracelet and move it to the opposite wrist every time you complain. He says he broke three bracelets moving it back and forth so often.

I challenge you. Stop complaining. DO SOMETHING. I know what you can do….stop complaining. You’ll be a better manager. And a better person.

Management a la Spitzer

2008-03-18T21:27:00.015-05:00

Eliot Spitzer was a bad manager. His recent change of occupation revealed much about his management style when he was AG - he was a bullying boss. No surprise...he also took his out of control swagger into the world where he publicly bullied everyone he could. He bulldozed relentlessly, even when a collaborative outcome would have served the public good. He even nicknamed himself “the *&^!?!* steamroller”.

Like too many senior managers, there was nobody to stop his bullying. The guy was pure ego gone nuts. Yes, Spitzer was extreme, but there are a few ouch questions to be asked. Are you a *%t#lm+! steamroller? Do you bully your staff? Most importantly, how would you know if it’s true?

Ask. Ask everyone. Quickly. Bully bosses are just bad news. It doesn’t matter what golden talents you possess…bullying will be your crummy legacy. Ask an ex. Ask your assistant. Just ask.

Because even if it’s just a little true, then you have a huge problem. And a great opportunity. To stop. Just stop. Declare out loud that your bullying days are behind you. Fess up. Just stop.

Don't kid yourself. Talented people will work for a bully for a while. But eventually, you’ll bully the good ones right out of your company.

And then, just like Spitzmeister, they’ll cheer when you fall.

Webster Says

2008-03-15T22:02:00.006-05:00

What is your definition of management? Not the company’s, not the dictionary’s….yours. Can you state it in behavioral terms, and in less than 60 seconds? (that's a long time, by the way....it's the length of an average radio ad). Specifically, can you explain what you DO? How you spend 50+ hours at work every week?

Probably more important is a different question: Can your TEAM easily offer up your definition of management? Are you interested enough to ask them? Go ahead. Ask. Make a private wager with yourself as to how many will answer the questions correctly.

This will be an email they will be really interested in reading. And answering. One sentence is all you need: “In five sentences or less please write what you believe to be my management philosophies.”

I don’t know what Webster says, but here’s my definition, “ to lead and engage a team of people, enabling them to use their strengths to accomplish the agreed-upon outcomes for the company and for each individual”. I have not spent hours on that definition – and I intend to. But, I like it as a first draft.

Do you like it? What don’t you like? Just Tell Me How You Manage...please send me your questions, ideas, comments or sarcastic remarks.

I Hereby Invite You To Gripe

2008-02-17T22:39:00.010-05:00

1. Do you have an an “open door policy?”
2. When was the last time you asked an employee to “step right in and tell you something that you might not want to know”?

If the answer to question #1 is yes…then the answer to question #2 should be "yesterday". What matters more: telling people that you have an open door or employees walking through that door with news you don’t want to hear? Telling versus walking….big difference.

Imagine one of your employees bragging that their boss (you) regularly asks them to come on in and complain.
And share their fears.
And voice their concerns.
And tell you something you don’t know.
And discuss a problem that is festering.
And tell you about that project that is going nowhere.
And bounce some balls that you have dropped.
And tell you what they fear.
And tell you about someone who needs help.
And who is in the wrong job.
And how you can help them.

3. Why don’t you ask for this kind of feedback all the time?
4. What is stopping you from asking tomorrow?
And every day thereafter.

JustTellMeHowToCancel.com

2008-01-26T21:13:00.000-05:00

I don’t ask for much here in my little slice of the blogosphere, but I do have one small request for 2008. The following predicament has happened to me eleven times since last July. I counted. Really. Eleven times since July I was “voice-cancelled” or
“e-canceled” on the day of an appointment. And merely as a result of having sent the message, the person who cancelled considered the appointment sufficiently undone. So very wrong.

Because in each of eleven instances, I had neither read nor heard the message in time, and I went to the appointment, on time.
And for some added fun, on three of those eleven
occasions - because I live in Boston - I paid $30 to park my car and eat lunch by myself.

This is common sense: when you cancel an appointment it is absolutely necessary to confirm that the cancellation message has actually reached the cancellee prior to the occurrence of the appointment.

This type of behavior is bad business hygiene. And bad manners. And bad karma. And a bad blow to a business relationship. Really. Please believe me.

The way in which you cancel appointments is an opportunity to add some grace to an unpleasant message. Do it with class. Be considerate. Try REALLY HARD not to cancel with less than 24 hours notice. If you have to cancel on the “day of” you should track down the person and deliver the message yourself. Or buy the person a swell present.

I think that my eleven presents will be arriving any day now.
If you need more info please visit http://www.justtellmehowtocancel.com/.

Resolve This!

2008-01-06T21:56:00.001-05:00

I would like to just tell you my suggestion for a great, all purpose and all powerful 2008 resolution. It’s simple, but not easy. It’s a small thing, but it will make a huge difference. It’s understandable that it happens, but incomprehensible that everyone thinks it’s ok. Please...

Never again utter this universal excuse, “I didn’t do it because I’m just too busy”. Puh-lease. EVERYONE is busy. Some are even busier than you. Really. We are ALL incredibly busy, yet many many busy people manage to do what they promise.

We know it's not deliberate, but it’s a bit of an insult to those who are very busy...yet managed to deliver on what they promised. Let’s just call it a blind spot upon which I am shining a bright light. Just stop telling people that you are very, very busy.

Instead, I offer you a choice for your all-purpose 2008 resolution:

1. Stop saying “I’m so busy, “I’m crazy busy” or “I lost track of time." Just stop. Never say it again. To anyone. Skip the excuse part and fess up. Just say, “I didn’t do it". Take responsibility. Be a role model. It will change everything. Or, (this one is even better, I think)

2. Stop agreeing to do things that you really ARE too busy to do. Only agree to do things that you will absolutely do. Because if you stop making commitments you can’t keep then you won’t have to offer an excuse later on. Stop the madness!

Pick one of these. Please. Just do it. Write it down and post it somewhere where everyone in your office can see it. Post it everywhere in your office where everyone can see it.

I Love Lists

2007-12-27T15:33:00.000-05:00

The most excellent list below was lifted from Tom Peters in a post called “The Pursuit of Luck”. (visitors are enthusiastically encouraged to lift anytime @ http://www.tompeters.com/). The full list contains 50 real life, actionable ideas, and here are my favorite Nine Strategies To Change Your Luck:

1.
More at-bats. More times at the plate, more hits. Try it. Cut the baloney and DO something.
2
Read odd stuff. Look anywhere for ideas. Cultivate odd hobbies. Raise orchids. Race yaks. Pluck chickens.
3
Pay for training unrelated to work. Keep everyone engaged in learning. Period.
4
Listen to everyone. Ideas come from anywhere.
5
Don’t listen to anyone. Trust your inner ear.
6
Forget the same tired old trade association meetings & join a trade org that has nothing to do with your industry).
7
Spend more time “outside”. Customers and vendors will give you more ideas in five minutes than another five-hour committee meeting.
8
Don’t “help.” Let the people who work for you slip, trip, fall— and grow and learn on their own.
9
Analyze, discuss and praise #8 right after it happens.

Own It

2007-12-12T14:42:00.001-05:00

I know that you are tired of your same old problems week after week. What are you doing about it? Are you taking full ownership?

No doubt that you are working hard, but working harder isn’t the solution. If you DECIDE to take full ownership of everything that you do….and why wouldn’t you take full responsibility for your own actions – only then will you have real control over the outcomes.

And you can stop behaving like a victim. It is victim thinking every time you think that someone else has to “fix this”.

I get frustrated with managers who don’t “own” the performance of their crummy, lazy salesperson. It’s easy to blame him and everyone buys right into that. I’m annoyed with CEO who allows his sales manager to fight with employees and vendors, even though the CEO knows that the guy has little management talent.

Here’s a mantra for 2008: say to yourself repeatedly, “here’s what I am going to DO about that”.

Imagine that you are sitting on the first baseline at a Red Sox Game (World Champs, by the way). At the 7th inning stretch, you go and sit with a friend in his seats on the third baseline. For the last four innings you’re still watching the same game, but your view is different. Elements will come into your field of visions that you didn’t see earlier. When you see the whole picture you increase your choices in the action you take.

Change your point of view and everything changes. Go ahead and change your seat at the game.

Start saying, “here’s what I am going to DO about that”

Failure IS an Option

2007-11-30T20:55:00.000-05:00

I just found a cool blogger named Alexander Kjerulf. He writes about the productivity of happy employees and he and I agree: a business will have happy employees ONLY when managers pay attention to the right stuff. And happy employees are more productive employees.
http://positivesharing.com/2006/08/top-5-business-maxims-that-need-to-go

Old truth: Failure is not an option which means that we absolutely, positively must succeed. Well, guess what: Putting pressure on people to always succeed makes mistakes more likely because people who work under pressure are less effective. They resist reporting bad news and often, they close their eyes to signs of trouble. All of this especially true when it’s reinforced with punishment for those who make mistakes.

Peter Drucker (often credited as the “inventor” of modern business writing) suggested that businesses should find all the employees who never make mistakes and fire them, because employees who never make mistakes never do anything interesting. Admitting that mistakes happen and dealing constructively with them makes mistakes less likely.

Also, failure is often the path to new, exciting opportunities that wouldn’t have appeared otherwise. Closing your eyes to failure means closing your eyes to these opportunities.

New Truth: Failure happens. Deal with it. Invite it. Welcome it.

Jake’s suggestion: this week, go hunting in your organization. Go find some failure and reward it.

WhoWhatWhenHow

2007-11-25T22:45:00.000-05:00

Even if you’ve never taken any of the advice from my previous blogs, grab hold of this one. This can really help improve your meetings. Easily and Forever.

First, have you ever attended a meeting where people are saying things like, “at the last meeting didn’t someone say they were definitely going to finish that project by some deadline soon?”. Who was going to do it? What was that project, specifcally? When was it due? It’s so frustrating.

Instead, follow these FOUR RULES FOR MEETINGS THAT WORK. Post them all over in offices and conference rooms. Make them your mission. Get some t-shirts printed. But pledge to adopt these magical rules.

1. WHO
2. WHAT
3. WHEN
4. HOW

Yes, it is this simple. And you don’t even need them explained (except #4 – just a little). The hard part is actually following them, of course. Actually adopting the rules and using them consistently. Posting the rules will help keep awareness high and aim everyone toward the same outcome. Just do it.

Rule #4 reveals whether assistance is needed to generate some fresh ideas. And whether the person really knows how to do the project. And confirms that she has all the tools, help or resources needed. Sometimes you have to dig deeper and push a little on HOW. Or dig in privately so someone can admit that something is needed and not feel any embarrassment.

The final essential step – and it’s absolutely essential - is a meeting summary in an ACTION LIST format. Pick a note-taker, worship his or her note-taking skills and have the ACTION LIST emailed to all attendees ASAP. The action list will reflect who, what, when and how.

Then, all manner of terrific stuff happens. Everyone knows exactly what is being done, who is doing it and when it will be done. They know whether more info, tools or ideas are needed. You can stop talking about it and everyone can count on the right outcome.

No X-ray Vision

2007-11-06T13:36:00.000-05:00

Only Superman has X-Ray vision so sadly, we cannot literally look inside our employees to understand what motivates them. Or to learn about their beliefs and values. Or to uncover their strengths and weaknesses. So, how do you get ALL information you need in the hiring process? There is ONE incredibly important step and frankly, the rest are just the how-to’s. Step #1 is, as they say in football, to GO DEEP.

I think the biggest challenge in making great hires is the stamina that the process requires. First, you still have to do your job while simultaneously carving out a LOT of additional time for the entire hiring process. And truthfully, even when you are genuinely excited about finding a “great” person, the whole thing can be tedious, disappointing and often boring. Finally, just when you think it can’t get worse, it does. True danger sets in.

That danger is when a manager starts to feel a little – and then a lot - desperate. As in, “I gotta get someone hired or my boss will hang me”. Or, “I gotta make a hire this week to fill my quota”. You’re not a meter maid. Quotas won’t get the job done.
In my next few blogs I am going deep on the essential steps that will really help you improve your hiring.

Step #1 - the most important step of all, is to decide….really commit to the idea that you will GO DEEP. Deeper than you’ve ever gone before: more interviewing time, more time with other team members, more reference checking, better initial screening, better interview questions and in general, setting higher standards.

Wouldn't it be swell to spend your truly valuable time up front, doing all the right stuff that leads to hiring the right person?
Rather than spending endless hours after she's on board and before that truly miserable thought sets in, "did I hire the wrong person?"

Remedial mop-up is the worst management task ever.

THE ZILLION DOLLAR QUESTION

2007-10-23T21:23:00.000-05:00

I’m gonna deliver this message once a month ‘cuz it’s so dang important.

The zillion dollar question to ask at the start of every process is this, “What’s the outcome we want?”
You gotta start with the results you are aiming for. Start with whatever you want to have at the end of the meeting, project or conversation.

Simply by asking “what’s the outcome we want?” you can streamline any process. You’ll gain clarity about where to take the questions. Troubleshooting will become a snap. It will be easier to avoid the distractions that present themselves in every procedure. Because you know where you’re headed. You know where you want the finish line to be.

Write your desired outcome on a BIG piece of paper and post it on the wall. Keep it in sight at all times. Hang it in the hall. Make it your screen saver. Write it on your hand. Email it to everyone. Keep your eye on the outcome.

When other important issues pop up (and threaten to derail your process), take a Post-It note, write down the distraction and call it “other issues to be discussed”. Deal with it later...but deal with it.

Try this: talk to your management team. Make a pact that you will continually ask each other “what’s the outcome?”

When you know what track you’re on it’s easier to STAY on track.

YOU GOTTA NAME NAMES

2007-10-17T21:49:00.000-05:00

The staff has gathered in the conference room and the manager is about to offer some well deserved praise for a huge sale made to a new client. But sadly, she starts with that demoralizing and empty sentence we’ve all heard (or said??) too often:
“You all did a great job, but I won’t name any names because I might leave someone out”…so I’ll just thank the entire group because you know who you are”.

YES, I KNOW WHO I AM.
What I don’t know is whether YOU, my boss, think I did a good job.

And now, nobody else will know, because this is backwards. You don't praise the deed - you praise the people. So as Ms. Manager goes on and one about the group effort that produced the huge multi-year sale, most people are now only half listening. Because thanking a group just doesn't count as praise.

This is praise: naming names, lauding specific accomplishments, making it public, making it timely and when appropriate, adding a reward.

Here are four rules for offering killer praise:

1. NAME NAMES
Praise the person, not the outcome. Do your homework. Get ALL the names and pronounce them perfectly one by one. If you mistakenly omit someone, then you can offer some after-the-fact public praise to make it right.

2. THIS IS THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE
This makes it easy: pretend you are praising the greatest piece of chocolate cake you’ve ever eaten….then, praise the person even more enthusiastically than you would praise the cake.

3. LOUD AND PROUD
There are endless ways to make the praise public. How about a group email, a company-wide email, a mock ad in the company newsletter, a real ad in their hometown paper, a monthly ad in a trade publication, a banner ad on your website, a special parking place, a day off with an email that says, "David is off today because he did the following great thing, create a place on your website devoted to employee recognition, send an email to the CEO, post an announcement in the lunchroom, offer a cash reward, offer any kind of reward, write a letter to their spouse, mother, children or friends. Do something. Do anything. Keep doing it.

4. NEVER STOP
In addition to the monthly birthday party, host a monthly recognition party where the only things that get talked about are jobs well done.

Try this: create a new position called Company CPA – Chief Praise Auditor. The job is easy... to gather info every month to make sure that YOU publicly praise the right people.

Organizational Hell

2007-10-12T22:06:00.000-05:00

Do you have an organizational system? If I followed you around would I see you using it?

It’s not whether you have a good system or the right system; it’s whether you have a system that you USE. If you can’t answer the two questions above lickety split, then your answers are no and no. As a manager, you have to be a poster child for this.

Here's a break: forget about a system. More than a system, organization is also a decision. A method where you spend time every day in service to what you will do tomorrow. So, here’s your system and I promise that it’s the best one ever.

EVERY DAY you spend 15 minutes planning the next day. That’s it. The whole system. Put a recurring appointment in your Outlook EVERY DAY. And keep it. Make this the most important appointment of your day. EVERY DAY.

If you have an assistant, ask for help. Or, just like in kindergarten, choose a work buddy and ask the buddy to help you.

Or….ask a friend to email you, set up an auto email reminder, set up the Outlook reminder that pops up so annoyingly, use the alarm on your Blackberry or phone, hire an old-school answering service to call you or ask your mother to leave a message on your voicemail every night which you listen to on your way to work. EVERY DAY.

What Have You Done for YOU lately?

2007-08-22T17:31:00.000-05:00

Regardless of the type or quantity of training and development that your company offers (and most offer zip squat nada) YOU are the one responsible for your own growth. Don’t be discouraged. Now that you know it’s part of your job description to get yourself trained, it’s easier than ever to make it happen.

You already know about the workshops, night courses and best sellers that you are avoiding. I understand completely. Instead, here’s a partial list of some other possibilities, and they’re not the same old same old. PICK ONE and do something.

RSS Feeds – easy-peasy. If there is management content on a website that you like, you can have that content sent to you, rather than visting the site daily. Go to Wikipedia and learn about RSS feeds. They’re like buttah. Take a look at http://fastcompany.com/homepage/index.html

Podcasts – sure, you’ve heard of them, but have you listened to one? Do you subscribe to any? If you listen to audio on any type of portable device or on your computer, you are almost a podster. Every single business magazine, newspaper and management site offers great content you can listen to. Wiki Podcasting to learn how. http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podshows/429943

Newsletters – How about an email you'd really look forward to, daily or weekly? I promise you - there are terrific management newsletters FREE, and all you have to do is opt-in. Pick one and subscribe. I like http://www.stevebalzac.com/

Craig’s List – get yourself a tutor for the specific stuff you want to learn about, such as reading spreadsheets or enhancing your computer skills.

Linkedin.com – It's MySpace for professionals. Do not hesitate. Go there. Register. Play around. It's great.

The Thing You Don't Say

2007-08-04T21:38:00.000-05:00

One of the “Managers’ Ten Commandments” is: Thou shalt lead the way in saying the difficult things that need to be said.

Rachel is an art director and she is having trouble with Ross, one of the new graphic artists on her team. She is frustrated and confused about the hours that Ross works in the office versus at home. Yet she has not discussed this with Ross, even though his erratic arrival times at the office are becoming ever more frustrating to her.

One small detail: Ross has no idea that he is doing anything wrong. And after eight weeks of simmering Rachel just crossed over into flat-out furious.

Managers, please repeat after me: “I have to initiate the difficult conversations. I have to say the stuff that has to be said”.

At this point, Rachel has a number of excuses (she’s telling herself) as to why she hasn’t talked to Ross about his hours. But the real reason is that she doesn’t know how to have the conversation in a reasonable way. She is inexperienced, somewhat intimidated and just plain bad at conducting difficult conversations. So she rarely does it.

This management skill is called Mastering the Difficult Exchange, and it ought to be a part of Management 101. Because the only way to get good at it is to do it regularly.

Make a decision: don’t let a problem go on too long or too far. Don't let a question or conversation fester. Ever. Whether it’s between you and a direct report, your boss, another manager or someone down the hall, just spit it out. Ask the question. Bring up the problem. Identify the barrier. Say something.

Try this: decide to master the difficult exchange. Make this a behavior that you are known for. Become famous in your organization as the manager who is candid and forthright. Be the manager who never lets problems go too long or too far. Be the person who says the things that need to be said.

Are you oblivious?

2007-07-14T02:59:00.000-05:00

Please don’t be the boss who “just doesn’t get it”. It’s surprising when managers need to be reminded of the basics, but many need it. This is not a complete list, but it’s a good start.
Are you feeling brave this week? I have a challenge to offer you, but first, the list.

Rate yourself on the following statements. Score it #1-5 where #1 means you strongly disagree and #5 means you strongly agree.

· I don’t talk about myself all the time.
· I don’t say one thing and do another.
· I don’t play favorites
· I don’t bad-mouth my employees, co-workers or the big boss
· I don’t treat everyone the same…I treat people as individuals.
· I don’t change the rules without telling people
· I don’t promise things that I can’t deliver

Here’s the brave part. Print the list, pass it around and ask your staff to rate you on the same 1-5 scale. We could add one more..."I don't act like a coward". Go ahead. Be brave.

New Address: Neptune

2007-06-28T22:39:00.000-05:00

A new COO client is “having trouble” with her Chief Technical Officer. As she explained it, he understands all the problems because she has explained them clearly and consistently. To his face. In frequent meetings. So I spent time with him yesterday and whaddayathink? Me thinks she is living in outer space ‘cuz he had only a vague idea that there were problems, let alone the ability to name them.

Come on. Don’t mess with this one. When something has to be said, say it. Be decent and kind… and say it again. And again, if needed. And then make it a conversation – WITH the employee. If your CTO doesn’t know what she’s doing right and wrong, it is ON YOU. (Like everything else managerial).

When you are delivering news that nobody likes to deliver or receive, be direct. Blunt. Frank. Candid. Blurt it out if that's what it takes. Saying it decently matters….a lot…but actually saying it matters more.

Once said, the most helpful and professional thing you can do is to write a concise email that summarizes your observations AND outlines the agreements that were made to fix the problems. If those agreements were not made, then you might as well have been whistling a happy tune because "if nothing changes, nothing changes".

Just state the facts, and if you didn’t make your points in person this will make sure the job is done.

Try this: in your next 1:1 meeting ask specific questions about the new behaviors you discussed the week before. Continue to ask, ask, ask until the new behaviors are routine.

Bada Bing

2007-06-11T23:16:00.000-05:00

In the past seven years The Sopranos gave us 86 hours of fun in New Jersey…and 86 hours of darn good management instruction. The best lesson of all was offered up in the finale: speculate all you want about outcomes, but don’t believe that you ever really know what’s going to happen. Be ready for anything.

In New Jersey and in business it’s one thing or the other. Either your brother-in-law gets whacked or an employee defects to the competition with no notice. The head of another family gets run over by his own car or your sales plan falls flat.
You just never know.

Tony’s managerial talent was in knowing how to navigate the waters in which he swam. OK, he had one tiny advantage: he could whack the competition when things got too hot. But otherwise, Tony faced the same management junk day after day, just like the rest of us.

He took off that bathrobe every morning, drove to work and fiercely led his team. All the while he was guided by his code of ethics (bad ones, but he definitely had a mission statement that he lived by).

Yo. I offer you management a la Tony.

Trust, but verify.
Give people freedom to do their jobs, but stay close.
Offer guidance regularly.
Hire talented people who have specific skills and talent for that job.
Dedicate yourself to forging a tight team that gets the job done.
Bada Bing.

Beware the Glare

2007-06-11T00:09:00.000-05:00

Jerry Seinfeld has a funny routine about dating and job interviews. He talks about their similarities except that at an interview there’s very little chance you’ll be naked at the end.

In both cases we are hoping to fall in love, and I’m not sure which one has more pitfalls. Instead of being “blinded by love” interviewers are so very susceptible to being “blinded by glare”.

Glare is the blindingly attractive quality that the interviewer quickly falls in love with.

Glare is a defining characteristic of the candidate and it shows up early.

Glare blinds the interviewer with its bright, shiny appeal.

Glare is often what causes good managers to make bad hires.

Sad but true: interviewing is usually a one way street. A bad first interview (or first date) pretty much guarantees no seconds. And…if only it was true that a good first impression guaranteed a great fit in love or in life.

As a manager - Beware the glare. Ignore those first tugs at your heartstrings. DO NOT fall in love on a first date or a first interview.

A Higher Standard

2007-06-06T00:34:00.000-05:00

Hebrew National Hot Dogs had a slogan for years that was “we answer to a higher authority”…and the higher authority was God. Pretty darn high.

When you are hiring, to whom or to what standard do you answer to? I can just about guarantee that if your standard isn’t defined as “great” then it’s just not good enough. Consider that good news because that means your hires can continue to get better.

One of my clients is interviewing for a key position. At the start of the process they had decided to hire only people who would be the best possible fit. Let’s call that “hiring only A level candidates”. Except that a “B” candidate has shown up and they are talking themselves into hiring him.

(By the way, the definitions of A’s, B’s and even C’s comes from companies who offer testing and assessments to help ensure better hires. More on that in tomorrow’s post).

Be warned: it’s really really really hard to hire only A’s because that means you will NOT hire people who are quite good. Because a “B” is quite good, right? In other words, holding out for a fantastic hire means you take a pass on a merely good hire.

Maybe that sounds crazy but in fact, it’s a piece of advice that can change your business. I recommend two great books on this topic called, FIRST, DISCOVER YOUR STRENGTHS by Marcus Buckingham and SOAR WITH YOUR STRENGTHS by Donald Clifton. Two classics, really.

I promise…you absolutely can learn how to recognize talent and increase your chances of making better hires, but it starts with a difficult commitment. I encourage you to read those books and commit to hiring only people who will be A’s in your company. Once you commit you can learn how to do it.

Try this: read or podcast those books. Totally worth it.

The New Guy

2007-05-23T00:20:00.000-05:00

Lots of companies mess up when it comes to the first 90 days of a new hire.

Here's what happens too often: we give the new guy “lots of space to find his way”. We “check in” and provide feedback gently, as needed.
What should happen: on day #1 new hires should meet with senior management. Each manager should deliver the same message: employment is a partnership and we are here to DO everything possible to ensure our success.

It’s one of the ten commandments of management: feedback instead of esp.
Right from the start the new guy needs specific feedback to deliver the behavior that is expected. And it is the responsibility of management to provide the feedback, corrections and communication consistently…until the new guy is getting the job done the way everyone wants. A week, a month or a quarter - as long as it takes.

Try this: make this agreement upon hiring. This has to be a promise from management to deliver consistent and specific feedback and it has to match up with a promise from the new guy to accept and even crave the feedback… and know that this is the key to his success. Make sure the promise is followed by an action plan, with three elements:
What kind of feedback will be provided, who will deliver it and how often.

Beam Me Up Scottie

2007-05-18T23:01:00.000-05:00

I crave bad news.
Actually, what I really crave is learning about bad news as soon as it happens. That is a true report card for good management: how fast the bad news travels upstream to you.

One thing I know for sure: the higher up the management ladder one goes, the longer it takes bad news to work its way up all those rungs. It doesn’t matter whether you’re bad, good or even a great manager...Newton’s law prevails. The gravitational pull downward is mighty strong.

Leona has run a successful real estate office in Boston for twelve years and Heidi has been her terrific assistant the entire time. A month ago it was discovered that Annie, an office assistant, was routinely reading confidential files and she knew things like everyone’s compensation and their bonus deals. And they weren’t confidential anymore. She was let go immediately, of course.

When Leona told Heidi what happened Heidi told her that she already knew about Annie’s bad behavior…lots of people knew.

Leona was flabbergasted. If Heidi knew, why didn’t Leona know?
WHAT WAS HEIDI THINKING? When Leona asked, Heidi told her that she really didn’t know why she hadn’t come forward but maybe it just wasn’t her place. What does that mean….”not her place”?

Once you’re sitting in the boss’ chair it’s as if you become surrounded by the invisible force field from Star Trek, and almost everything that reaches you has to penetrate that invisible shield. Which slows everything down. Or stops the information flow completely.

This is a tough pattern to change because "the boss thing" looms large. I suggest that your first step is to pay attention to the rate at which bad news reaches you. And don’t kid yourself…know that you are going to be the last to know.

And when you get some bad news, just know that you ARE the last to know and chances are, the bad stuff has been going on for a while. And everyone else already knows.

Try this: work on your company’s the ROI….rate of information. Reward those who bring you the bad news first and praise anyone who steps up and tells you what’s going on.

Not My Usual Post

2007-05-14T21:04:00.000-05:00

I heard an interesting story recently about Itzhak Perlman, the great violinist. On Nov. 18, 1995, he gave a concert in New York City. Making his way on stage is a big achievement for him. He had polio as a child and he has braces on both legs. He walks with two crutches. To see him walk across the stage one step at a time, laboriously and slowly, is an arresting sight.

He sits down slowly, puts his crutches on the floor and undoes the braces on his legs.Then he bends down and picks up the violin, puts it under his chin, nods to the conductor and begins to play.

By now, audiences are used to this procedure and they sit quietly while he makes his way across the stage. They wait until he is ready to play.

But on that night something went wrong. Shortly after he began playing one of the strings on his violin broke. You could hear it snap - it went off like a firecracker. There was no mistaking what was likely to come next.

We whispered that he would have to put on the braces again, pick up the crutches and slowly move off stage either to find another violin or more likely, another string for this one. But he didn't. Instead, he closed his eyes, paused briefly and signaled the conductor to begin again.

When the music started he played from where he had left off. And he played with a passion and power as this audience of loyal fans had never heard before.

Of course, anyone knows that it is impossible to play a symphonic work with just three strings on a violin. But that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that.

You could see him changing and improvising. At one point, it sounded like he was re-tuning the strings to get new sounds that they had never made before.

When he finished, there was just silence for an extraordinary moment. Then there was an extraordinary outburst of applause from every corner of the auditorium. People screaming and cheering, and doing everything possible to show their enormous appreciation for the magic they had just seen and heard.

He smiled and raised his bow to quiet us - and then he spoke in a quiet tone that was not boastful in any way . He said, "you know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left."

What a powerful sentence. It has stayed with me since the first time I heard that story a decade ago.

I think that might be the definitive definition of management. You are trained to make violin music on an instrument with four strings and one day a string breaks and you've got a three-stringer. And no time to find a new instrument, or even an extra string.

Try this with your team: make music with what you have.

Surprising Behavior

2007-05-10T13:57:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, employees suddenly change their behavior…and it takes a turn that you don’t like. And you can’t figure out why it’s happening. And you suddenly feel disconnected from the employee in a way that suggests that you don’t know her as well as you thought.

When this happens your action should be to think like a detective. DO NOT focus on yourself, as in “why is she behaving like this towards me”? This change in her behavior probably has nothing to do with you and as her boss; it’s an opportunity to increase your focus on her.

Ask some questions. Of yourself.

Have you changed your behavior towards her?
Are you spending more/less time with her than in the past?
Have you changed your performance expectations and maybe she’s confused, nervous, angry, disappointed or just plain upset?
Have the office dynamics changed – a new high performing employee, a new manager in the organization, the departure of a key employee?

Next, ask her one question.

Is she aware of the change?
Be candid about what you have observed. Don’t be too analytical…just offer your observations about her behavior. Then, move to talking about the effects these changes are having.

Try this: the outcome of your conversation should be agreement on the specific behavior that you are looking for.

Mad As A Hatter

2007-05-04T22:32:00.000-05:00

A client told me a story about an employee whose behavior “just makes her mad”. It took thirty minutes of focused conversation to uncover the root of her anger at the employee, and it turned out to be something small; a consistent work habit that the manager objected to.

As we talked it out, the manager opened up a new awareness regarding that habit and she came up with a plan to help the employee improve. Recognizing the reason for the behavior dissipated her anger and allowed her to see the situation differently.

When an employee’s behavior makes you mad what’s the first thing you do?
I suggest that your first move should be to NOT get mad, and shift your thinking to the employee’s intention. Then, start asking questions. Of yourself.

It’s bad news when managers become known as someone who responds “emotionally’. When someone's behavior makes you mad go on a hunt. There is often some missing piece of information that “changes everything” and the thing that you got angry about isn’t that thing at all.

So first, examine your response. Get specific and take a fresh look at what it was that made you mad. Why did you respond this way? Is your response part of a a consistent pattern that you haven’t noticed until now? If you aren’t sure, this is an ideal question to ask your peers or your colleagues.

After you’ve started to pay attention to your own anger/annoyance responses start observing the other managers’ responses. Do you like what you see? Is there behavior conducive to creating better outcomes? Are there some managers on the team who are, in fact, known as people who respond emotionally?

Everything you say and do at work have an outcome in mind. When that’s true it’s easier to self-assess on the fly and modulate your anger responses.

Try this for the next three days: whenever you feel angry or annoyed at an employee, stop and write it down. Later, give some careful thought to the employee and his reason for the behavior. Soon…talk about it with the employee and take some action to change.

Just Tell Me

2007-04-22T23:05:00.000-05:00

I’m leaving London in the morning but here’s an interesting follow up-to my previous post.

I took my last tube ride yesterday and surprisingly, I got delayed again. After a mere thirty seconds (even faster than two days ago) an announcer came on to explain the delay. I swear this is exactly what he said: “there is no service on the Northern Line north of this station until approximately three o’clock due to a body on the tracks under a car”. Nobody on my car even flinched.

If ever there was a situation that begged for a partial truth - or none at all - surely this is it. Yet the Tube folks must know something that most other organizations haven’t figured out (yet).

When we’re on the receiving end of information we want to be told the truth. We are entitled to the truth. And most importantly, Jack Nicholson was not correct…we can handle the truth.

Telling the truth is a powerful way to show your staff your high opinion of them. When you tell the truth you share the burden of “what comes next” with your team rather than behaving as if you are the only one who can solve the problem. One could even argue that withholding the truth is a form of arrogance because it suggests that you get to decide what people do and do not have a right to know.

Try this: “When in doubt, tell the truth”. That’s what we teach our kids.

Truth or Consequences

2007-04-17T20:09:00.000-05:00

I’m vacationing in London and managerial lessons are all around. We were riding the Tube (subway) today and as transportation does, it just stopped. After about 90 seconds a very pleasant female voice began explaining the reason for the delay – there was a stalled car ahead. She apologized and went on to say that the estimated time of delay would be 6-9 minutes. 6-9 minutes! She didn’t say “soon”. She didn’t say “we don’t know”. She said 6-9 minutes. Wow.

Here’s my revelation for today’s event: because I learned the reason for the delay along with my new estimated time of arrival nobody nobody nobody seemed frustrated. Lots of people were nodding as if they felt bad for the Tube!

It may seem like a small thing, but it was so respectful. It was so reasonable. Almost pleasant.

Managers should operate like the nice Tube lady. Every time something goes wrong you can summon your own pleasing voice and be a truth-telling manager.

Q: What would happen – good and bad - if you were totally honest with your employees?
A: Far more good things would happen.

Yeah, yeah that’s rubbish you say.

But it’s not.

How many times just this week that you didn’t tell the (whole) truth. Think of a specific incident and ask yourself, "why not"? Why didn't you tell the whole truth?

I am not suggesting that you tell lies…merely that you do not reveal the whole truth nearly often enough. Again, why not?

I promise that if you decide to tell the truth the great majority of the time (I’m giving you a tiny bit of leeway) you will get a better outcome from your team. And it's not just a decision - it's a commitment.

Here’s how you know that I’m telling you the truth:
YOU want the whole truth, right?
You can take it, right?
You deserve the whole truth, right?

Try this: BE the manager that YOU want to work for.

TASTES LIKE CHICKEN

2007-04-16T18:45:00.000-05:00

I’m in London for a week and while the dollar is horribly weak the good cheer is strong. In stores, restaurants, Starbucks, buses…people are pretty nice. And friendly. And they smile and it makes me want to smile back.

I know it’s a tourist’s perspective, but the pleasantries happen often with so many of the people I’ve come in contact with. And it reminds me that in management, nice trumps nasty. And unpleasantness. And meanness. And it just seems like common sense to be nice.

I recently tasted sauteed alligator meat (don't ask)..and like so many things, it tastes like chicken. Really. Which makes me think that things are often more familiar than we think, no matter where we are or what we're doing. And that means you can rely on the basics in life. Like being nice.

As a manager, you need your team to “want to” go to the mattresses for you. (Note the Godfather reference). “Want To” is the bingo here because while you can demand, order, mandate and require certain behaviors, you won't get 110% if the "want to" is missing. When you don't "want to" you just don't do your best.

Management is complex, but it doesn’t (always) have to be difficult. It’s a fact: people don’t work for companies, they work for people. You will always have tough issues to face, problems to solve and challenges that will unexpectedly hit you right in the gut. But when your people “want to” walk through walls for you, you’ll always have an edge.

Try this: next time you’re angry at an employee– and your thought is to “let loose” on her – do the opposite. Be the nicest as you’ve ever been. Ask her if everything is ok. Ask if you can help her. Buy her an ice cream cone and then discuss, don't scold.

On The Way to Great Hiring

2007-04-08T20:50:00.001-05:00

The fun dial is about to crank all the way up as you start interviewing candidates for your open position. You’ve written a clear job description (see previous post) and the next step is to create the list of your hiring requirements.

Step 1: make three lists:
1. The absolute requirements for the job. A combination of talent, skills and
experience. This should be a very short list because it’s got to be absolute…no
more than five things. If a candidate is missing one of the five requirements they
don’t get interviewed. Absolute.

2. Important requirements for the job. No more than five.

3. Extras. No more than five.

You can see where this is going. Any job that has more than 15 requirements is heading toward a bad hire, anyway.

Step 2: write a short list of “Screen-Out” questions.
No more than seven. (I just like that number). The screen-outs should be focused on the absolute list. This enables you to have a seven minute phone conversation to determine whether the candidate should move forward.

Step 3: About the interview.
Great selection happens when a person’s talents are a good fit for the job (not just experience). Focus on the talents required for success, in addition to experience. Write a long list of interview questions and leave plenty of room to write the candidates’ answers.

Ideally, bring in someone else to write the answers while you ask the questions.
This is very important. You think you’ll remember the answers but it ain’t necessarily so. Actually, it ain’t so at all. Great note-taking is part of great interviewing.

Next post: Great hiring is a talent show.

What Do You DO DO DO?

2007-04-06T10:17:00.001-05:00

Question: As you set out to make your next hire, how high will you aim?
Another question: What are you willing TO DO to ensure a great hire?
Answer: Search relentlessly for the most talented person for the job, and and commit to learning the skills needed to find them. You can become a champion at great hiring and become the envy of your competitors.

The learning division of the Gallup Organization is an authority on selection (aka great hiring), and their data and training are superb. http://www.gallup.com/ . Gallup's research on selection over the last 40 years consistently reveals that just one in ten is a great fit for the work they do. And that’s across all industries. Ouch.

Question: Why is it so damn difficult to find highly talented people?
Answer: Because most companies don’t view selection and hiring as management skills to be learned and developed. Most managers and/or HR professionals are not committed to interviewing relentlessly.

When you commit to hiring talented people the process always starts (and ends) with two things:
1. A specific job description
2. Identifying the talents needed for THAT job. (think sports and music)

Job Descriptions should start with the outcome (sell copiers), but don’t stop there. List everything the employee will DO for 40+ hours every week; the tasks and the behaviors. Every bullet point should be a “DO”.

If you can’t see it, it’s a concept, not a behavior. Excellent job descriptions include the outcomes required and the behavior needed to get there. The WHAT and the HOW. Last, you focus on the talent to get the job done.

You’re hiring a customer service manager….
Concept: Improve our customers’ perceptions of our return policy”.
Behavior: talk to customers daily, ask questions about their return experience, create a scoring system, lead the team to develop specific solutions.
You can see someone doing those tasks, right?

Once you have the specific WHAT and HOW, you will be able to ask better questions of candidates.
Next post: all about talent. How you uncover a person's natural talents.

Try this: Write a job description.
Part I - the outcomes.
Part II: a list of everything the person will DO in the job.

And try this, too: read these classic books on selection and hiring. Or listen to them. They will transform your views of hiring - and more.

SOAR WITH YOUR STRENGTHS by Donald O. Clifton & Paula Nelson

NOW, DISCOVER YOUR STRENGTHS by Marcus Buckingham & Donald O. Clifton

FIRST, BREAK ALL THE RULES by Marcus Buckingham

IF YOU DO ONLY ONE THING RIGHT

2007-04-03T23:51:00.000-05:00

What is it the most important of all the management tasks? What is the one skill that we usually spend the least amount of time improving? (hum the Jeopardy song)……the answer is Great Hiring.

You know this is the biggie. The one that matters most of all. The one that either gives you a true advantage over your competitors or dooms you to mediocrity – and worse. Why isn’t every manager reading, asking, discussing, debating and challenging the mostly inferior way we hire? Why don't you decide to DO something?

It’s ugly out there in the land of great recruitment. And yes, it’s difficult to hire well. But it is the foundation of all success. I hope you don’t see yourself in this list below, but if you do, then it’s time to fess up and make a decision to do it differently. Immediately. Forever. Be brave - do you:

Use the same tired & vague recruitment ads over and over?

Write job descriptions that are masterpieces? (you can)

Conduct interviews with as much preparation that goes into your best business presentations?

Spend a lot of time with your finalist candidates? At least 10 hours?

Talk to five references using a written list of questions?

The next few blogs will offer strategies for great hiring.

Try this: focus on a current opening. Write a terrific job description that spells out in detail how the employee will spend 40+ hours every week. It’s fine to include the big concepts, but if you can’t “see” what the person will do from the description, then how will you OR the employee what is to be done?
When the masterpiece is finished, pass it around the office and ask for brutal feedback. Here’s the test it should pass: if you show the job description to your grandma would she understand this position?

IF YOU ASK, LISTEN TO THE ANSWER

2007-03-30T23:58:00.000-05:00

Roll back the clock and see if you remember that time before you were in management….when you used to think, “when I’m a manager I won’t do that”. If you remember, what are you doing now that causes your employees to think the same thing? Ouch.

I used to get pretty annoyed when managers asked for my input and never seemed to listen. Don’t get me wrong...I don't think that asking for input obligates management to take the advice. The essential behavior is to ask your employees for input and listen to their answers. Next Time:

Make it clear that you really want honest opinions, suggestions and/or feedback.

If you claim to be genuinely interested, check in with yourself to make sure you mean it. You can’t fake this one. If you aren’t truly interested then don’t waste
time asking. (why aren’t you interested)??

Manage the “asking” expectations; clarify that asking for input doesn’t mean that the suggestions will definitely be implemented.

Don’t defend, just listen. If you’re asking, then just ask and listen to the answers. Try to imagine how Mr. Rogers might have behaved if he was asking for input.

Keep asking. People love it. You’ll learn stuff.

PHILOSOPHY MAJOR

2007-03-28T23:02:00.000-05:00

When I was a Sales VP I met with sales directors all over the country & I would usually ask about their management philosophy. Often, they couldn’t answer – even the good ones – and that was puzzling.

Do you have an operating philosophy? Have you shared it with others? If you don’t know what you stand for, or if you don’t tell people about it, how will your employees know? And f you don’t tell others what you believe in, then it’s hard to have a team that operates in alignment.

What is your standard for client service? What guides your decision making? Do you resolve conflicts by a personal set of beliefs? Should all employees operate under one set of rules? Do you have a consistent set of standards for your staff?

When your staff is speculating about a decision you are pondering, well, they shouldn’t have to speculate very much. They should be able to predict how you will likely decide. Because they know where you stand on most issues.

When teams work together they have to be able to anticipate how one another will behave. And make decisions. As the leader, it is so important that you examine your personal tenets and make them known. That way, everyone on your team can anticipate intelligently and operate in concert with the standards you set.

Try this: write down five beliefs that guide your decisions and/or your behavior. Ask the members of your team to do the same. Use this as the agenda for a staff meeting and tell one another.

HARD TO HELP

2007-03-26T22:22:00.000-05:00

Can you recall the last time you asked for help?

If your answer is yes, what was the date and what was the problem? If you can’t remember, maybe we have to diagnose you with an unfortunate affliction called Hardus Helpiosus, commonly known as hard-to-help.

In theory, I'm sure you believe in asking for help. And you are always ready to give help when asked, right? That's the right thinking, but this isn't an intellectual exercise; I am challenging you to be(come) a manager who asks for help.

Hard-to-help is a particular type of managerial dysfunction. It doesn’t mean you’re a know-it-all and it doesn’t mean that you don’t grow or improve.

However, it probably means that you grow and improve more slowly, and these days no manager can afford any lag time. Plus, not asking for help is inefficient because, if you don't ask for help then you are saying that you can solve all the problems on your own. Which never works anyway.

This is a pretty easy behavior to improve because all you have to do is ask for help. When you really think about it, I bet that your staff, along with the other managers, would love to help you….if only you would ask.

If you make this into a regular new behavior you will you solve your problems faster AND you will become an exemplary role model for everyone around you: employees, peers and even senior management.

"He is in great danger, who being sick, thinks himself well". - Thomas Fuller

Try this: Every Tuesday at 3:15 ask someone for help on a specific problem.

Join the “I Gotta Go Club"

2007-03-24T20:45:00.000-05:00

Bob is a bad employee. At some point almost every day Bob starts to complain about the idiots in senior management. Or accounting. Or his compensation. He has no idea that he has become THAT guy. That whining bummer of a guy who brings everyone down. Bob has become a bad employee.

You’ve heard it a thousand times and it’s T-R-U-E… attitude is everything and Bob’s attitude is all wrong. Given a choice, I would accept “B” level work with an “A” level attitude anytime. A bad attitude kills everything in its path.

When you accept your weekly paycheck you are obligated to get with the program. Get on the bus or get out. You are being paid for your good work every day, along with a good outlook. Bacon & eggs. Bill & Hillary. Good work & a good attitude. One is just no good without the other.

When your feet hit the floor in the morning are you excited about the place where you are going to spend the next 8 or more hours? Are you happy on Sunday nights? If those two answers are NO, then be afraid, be very afraid - because chances are that you are a bad employee. And everyone around you knows it.

But cheer up, because this is your free Get-Out-Of-Jail card. You now have the freedom to fire yourself…before someone else does it for you. If you recognize some Bob in yourself – even a little – then you should put yourself up for membership in
the I gotta go club. This is a special kind of club because everyone in it has fired themselves. And moved on.
The minute your little voice starts saying that it’s time to go, you should listen.

Try this: Join the club and GO. Now.

The Meeting Before the Meeting

2007-03-22T23:54:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I asked you to commit to running better meetings. I shared some basics that you can use right away & I saved the best for last. It’s a brilliant idea…and I can say that because I didn’t think of it. I’m just passing it along and it’s called the “Meeting Before the Meeting”.

Think about it……before every meeting there are questions that should have been answered, questions that should have been asked & outcomes to be agreed upon. Often, those revelations come to us once the meeting has begun – when it’s too late. But you can change that.

Sometimes it’s a theoretical meeting before the meeting because you can conduct it by phone or even via email. It doesn’t have to be in person – it just has to happen. There are no rules (unusual, I know). Just think about what needs to be known in order to make it a great meeting and handle those things before the meeting.

Decide to become the champion of the meeting before the meeting and you can become famous for it inside your organization.

Manager as Magician

2007-03-22T23:17:00.000-05:00

You can make magic. You can magically make a lot of people in your organization pretty darn happy if you commit to making your meetings better. Skip over the pondering and assume that your meetings just aren’t especially great. Or effective. Or useful. Or well run. Ouch.

You might be doing a lot of managerial things well, but when you give bad meeting it’s painfully memorable. And people are more inclined to remember the bad stuff. The good news is that improving any meeting is pretty easy if you commit to changing some behavior.

“What if your meeting is always the best meeting of the week??” Here’s how to make it happen:

Ask for input and face the truth.

Create a list of essential meeting elements & ask people to score their answers. A 1-5 scoring system works well. For example, I GET SOMETHING USEFUL FROM EVERY MEETING. 1= strongly agree and 5 = strongly disagree. You can get actionable info quickly and objectively.

Ask what people want more of and less of.

When you're about to schedule a meeting make it pass this test...
Ask WHY are you having the meeting? The reason should be important or necessary.

Ask WHAT is the outcome you need at end of the meeting & will this meeting really contribute to that outcome?

Ask WHO needs to attend in order to make it successful?

The most essential element for ensuring a great meeting is your commitment to make it happen. Ask for feedback after every meeting and every meeting will be better than the last.

ASK ASK ASK

2007-03-16T19:36:00.000-05:00

LulaMae was raised to be a nice girl. That means she doesn’t ask for much…and it means that she doesn’t speak up very often, either. That makes her a nice person but as an employee she is silent but deadly. (If you grew up in my neighborhood you know that SBD’s are stinky). Email me if you don’t know about SBD’s.

You’ve managed or worked with dozens like her...the employees who think that management has esp. The ones who just don't say it when it needs to be said.

Whether you manage LulaMaes or loudmouths, a great manager asks for feedback and commentary on a regular basis. It’s not enough to offer an “open door policy” because in that way you are putting the responsibility for good communication onto the employees. It's a benign way to tell employees that if they want good communication, then it's "on them".

Since you want to know what’s going on you gotta ask. Here are a few rules that can get a good result:

1. Make it safe – when you ask, be prepared for any answer.
2. Be grateful when someone is brave enough to tell you the truth. Thank them.
3. Take action. Deal with it as soon as you can.

TRY THIS:
Every other month check in with 50% your direct reports & ask for specific feedback on specifics...the stuff for which you are responsible.

"A Question not to be asked is a question not to be answered" - Robert Southey

POINT YOUR FINGER AT YOURSELF

2007-03-15T21:19:00.000-05:00

I’m bugged by blamers…and frankly, so is everyone else. Mostly, we don’t mean to be blamers it but it’s become way too common. Too often it’s our automatic response and that’s not good. And it’s a fruitless management tactic because it hardly ever – never - gets you what you want. And yet, we just keep doing it.

When something goes wrong, what is your first thought? Do you immediately jump to focusing on what the other guy did? Does your brain do a quick scan that starts with “well, I did what I was supposed to do”? Boo. Hiss.

As a manager, your first thought has to be “what was my part in this”? Ask yourself, “If I had done something different would the outcome have been different?” Yes. And possibly, better.

As a manager, you own everything that happens & ownership is the complete opposite of blame. Taking complete responsibility changes your point of view, and that changes everything. Taking responsibility is very freeing, because if you own the problem then you can own the solution.

Try this: when facing a problem as yourself, “what can I do differently”?

The Only Change You Can Count On Comes from the U.S. Mint

2007-03-12T00:05:00.002-05:00

Think about a high performer on your staff…and something you’d like to change about her. Now, forget about changing anything about her. Really. Forget it.

We want to believe that people can change but it’s an urban myth.And suburban, for that matter. I bet you think I’m wrong because you want to believe that people change – and I do, too – but, nope. We can modify & even eliminate certain behaviors but you can’t fight DNA (it’s like City Hall). People don’t change. Repeat out loud: people don’t change.

Before you take that as bad news, allow me to challenge that idea, too. In fact, it’s actually good news because it’s easier to accept a person for who she is than constantly wish for something different. It’s a drag to go to hope that “today might be the day that she changes”. It's a waste of time to manage out of hope. The real opportunity is MANAGE her weaknesses & not attempt to change them.

Here’s an example of managing a weakness. Peter is a really talented salesperson, but terrible at paperwork AND math. His sales orders are always full of mistakes. Throughout his career, managers have told Pete to figure out how to write the orders perfectly because "it's part of the job". Since Pete knows that he’s terrible at order writing he usually waits until the last minute....and then his orders are wrong AND late. The worst part is that this talented salesperson feels lousy all the time.

But Pete’s new boss understands about managing weaknesses, & for the first time Pete got an assistant to write his orders. (NO...none of the other sellers got the same assistance). They got the specific help they need to manage their weaknesses. In that way, the boss treated everyone as individuals and with equality for all.

Try this: focus on one weakness for each of your employees and think about how you’ve tried to change them. Then, pick one thing to do for each person to manage that weakness, (rather than change) it. Picture how their performance will when the weakness could be managed.

Your Most Important Appointment

2007-03-04T23:36:00.000-05:00

In the 90’s (if you’re old like me) you remember Nancy Reagan’s famous solution for solving American’s drug problem: “JUST SAY NO”. Absurd, and not a solution at all, of course. Then Nike came along with their iconic slogan, “JUST DO IT”. Equally difficult in real life, but at least it’s not absurd. Just really hard.

One of the hardest things for me to “JUST DO” is plow through my TO DO list every day. It’s a mystery: sometimes I start the day with 40 things on the list, I work all day, and by 6:00pm there are 45 things on the list. Now, the only thing that works for me is to book an appointment with myself. And it really works.

It's a crazy simple idea (like FedEx), but it’s a brilliant solution because of its simplicity. Two or three times a week you schedule a work hour, with yourself. Booking it is easy….keeping the appointment is crazy hard.

Interruptions are killing your productivity but I am here to offer you a rock solid guarantee: this new habit will truly transform your work week. While you are in your office quietly working here's what will be going on around you...the lurkers will still be lurking outside your office, the emails will not spontaneously combust because they sit for 60 minutes, your boss will be respecting your mysterious new discipline & you will be lost in your focused,
white-hot productivity. And your whole staff will witness some pretty impressive role modeling. Can't you just see it?? Don't you crave it??

Once you're on the clock do not allow yourself to be interrupted unless the carpet outside your door is on fire. Inform your assistant & put a note on the door: Work in Progress. Tell the receptionist and your husband that you're not available. Put paper over the window if people can see in. Then sit down and do some W-O-R-K. No phone, no email, no nonsense.

Get your coffee & go pee before you sit down and do not let your tush out of your chair for sixty minutes. Just work. JUST DO IT.

Blind Spots

2007-03-01T00:26:00.000-05:00

A woman is taking a shower and hears the doorbell. She yells, "who's there?" and the visitor answers "it's the blind man". So, she figures it's no problem to answer the door naked. Upon opening the door the guy says "hi lady, where do you want me to hang the blinds?"

Or....a Blind Spot is a behavior “that you don’t know that you don’t know about”. They are the behaviors that everyone else knows about…but YOU are the only one who doesn’t know. Blind spots are the things you do that work against you. So, if you don’t know about them how can you take action?

Saying hello to your blind spots presents a huge opportunity to grow because you’ve got to know about something before you can decide whether you want to change it. But the real starting point has to be deciding whether you want to know. Are you ready to know? Are you brave enough? And are you ready to take action on your blind spots?

If your answer is yes, here’s what you can do.

First, ask some difficult questions of some people you trust. Stephen Covey has a great method: ask your questions in terms of what you should start, stop or continue doing. Ask about your behaviors.
Next, pick ONE behavior to work on…first. You can work on all of ‘em, but only ONE at a time.
Step three is the toughest one because we usually need help to increase awareness of our own behaviors: ask your “trustees” to catch you in the act. (Ask them to go easy on you) and to call attention to the behavior that YOU want to change. Just to signal you or save a few words to let you know that “you’re doing it right now”.

When you ask about your blind spots…when you enlist others to help you change…when you work hard to change a behavior you become the best kind of manager: a role model.

Everyone Hates Meetings

2007-02-18T21:33:00.000-05:00

There is one & only one reason we all dread meetings: almost all of them are a waste of time. Actually, it’s not that we hate meetings – we just hate the BAD meetings. We would be deeeelighted to go to a good meeting.

So, what is the definition of a good meeting? Also an easy answer. A good meeting is one where there is value for YOU. Where a problem gets solved, or a marketing challenge revealed or where you get the thing you went to the meeting to GET.

And since you are the boss, you get to be the one who creates the good meetings. And all the meetings should be good meetings. Simple to understand but not easy to do.

Five Elements of a GOOD Meeting

1. An Outcome……….what you want to have at the end of the meeting.
2. The Right People…. the attendees must be ready & able to
make decisions in order to get the outcome.
3. The Meeting Before the Meeting…..talk to people before the meeting
so you know what you need to know at the meeting.
4. Commitment……….get agreement in advance that people will arrive
one time & will stay until the outcome is reached.
5. Format……………….figure out in advance if the meeting is for
reporting, discussion, debate or info gathering.6. This one’s for
extra credit. Have a sense of humor. At all times.

One To One Meetings - Part II

2007-02-18T15:50:00.000-05:00

I want to convince you that a scheduled One to One Meeting every with each of your key employees will transform your work experience with them in so many ways. (See my first comment on 1:1 meetings, two posts ago). Here's why:

“The Boss Thing”. ....everyone, no matter how high their position in a company, wants 1:1 time with the boss. We want the boss to know how hard we’re working… plus 100 other things we want the boss to know.

For 15-30 minutes every week you can spend time NOT putting out a fire or dealing with deadlines. Your 1:1 meetings will bring back the concept of "think time".

You will learn about problems much sooner. Guaranteed.

Meeting weekly with people fosters trust. And honesty. And candor.

People will interrupt you less often with small issues because they know they have 30 minutes e very week to discuss the small stuff.

One to One conversations with your key people create time to think & strategize.

Do you need more reasons to believe in the power of 1:1 meetings? Okay…your employees. I challenge you to show them these two posts on 1:1’s. Ask if they agree with the concept & whether they would like to spend 15-30 minutes with you weekly. Then, scheduled four 1:1's.

One important thing to know about 1:1's: the first three or four are likely to be a little unfamiliar or uncomfortable. So, it’s on YOU, the boss, to set the agenda. And you've gotta have one.
Ask each person to make a list of five topics for meeting #1: five questions they want answered, five goals for the next 12 months, five things they want to brag about to you, five complaints, or five company suggestions – you get the picture. The list has to be specific.

After you make the list choose the things you will work on in your first four 1:1”s.

This little thing called 1:1 meetings can truly transform the work you do with your staff. They are essential for their development….for which you are responsible. People don’t work for companies. People work for people.

Wishy-Washy is for the Laundromat

2007-02-14T01:45:00.001-05:00

Ten years ago, when I started my last job, I asked people to tell me about my predecessor. Of course, everyone had different opinions about the guy but there was one thing that everyone was unanimous about. He was a bad decision maker.

Making decisions poorly drives people crazy. I’m NOT talking about making poor decisions (which is pretty bad on its own) but this is about doing a bad job in the process of making the decisions. Is your style below? Do you need a decision intervention?

Too Fast – shoots from the hip and decides wicked fast. Ready, fire, aim.
Alone – takes some time to consider the info but doesn’t ask anyone for their point of view.
Wishy Washy – Just doesn’t decide. Looks like she’s deciding because she takes time to consider & invites input, but she just cannot decide. So she doesn't.
Changes Position – Makes a reasonable decision and then changes her mind. This happens a few times before the final decision is made.
After the Fact – Makes decisions well but once it’s made she starts questioning, worrying, second-guessing & driving people crazy.

If you think you are a swell decision-maker, find out for sure. Ask for some feedback. Ask everyone: your boss, peers, direct reports, your assistant, the receptionist. Believe me, they know. Either you are or your aren't.

Asking for feedback is your chance to become even better - if your're good at it. And it's your chance to get good at it if you're not.

Try this: ask at least three of your key employees to specifically describe your decision making style...in writing. Just like on 'Law and Order, put them in a room with a yellow pad and ask them to start writing. No talking. Implore them to be candid and really level with you. Ask what works and what doesn't.

One to One Meetings

2007-02-12T01:13:00.001-05:00

Here is my all-time favorite "best practice" for managers. It is Hall of Fame worthy and just like many of the all-time great ideas in the world (like FedEx or Tivo), this one is incredibly simple.

One to One meetings. A weekly habit that can make you a better manager immediately. And get you better results almost as fast. It means that (almost) every week you have a scheduled meeting with your key managers and direct reports, one to one. Just the two of you with no email, no phones and no distractions. Almost every week. Three out of every four weeks. Just two people…one to one. This is the one meeting you do not reschedule or change. You keep this appointment.

Maybe you’re thinking this is a good idea but you don’t need it because you already have dozens of meetings every day, short and long, with your key managers. In fact, the LAST thing you need is another meeting.

And you’re right…the last thing you need is one MORE meeting like all the others. I promise you, this is one is quite different. THIS is the meeting we all need. And the one we all secretly crave.

Your employees truly want a few minutes every week where the boss focuses only on them. They want some time to brag (just a little) about a swell accomplishment. Or even better, just to spend time with the boss so they can safely admit a weakness. And get feedback. They want time so the boss will ask what they're focusing on, what they're worried about and whether they are satisfied, happy, frustrated, swamped, bored or even worthy of all this.

They crave 15-30 minutes a week to ask difficult questions, ask about the future or just ask the boss for his view of the Red Sox’s chances this year. (OK, now you know where I live).

If you meet regularly with your key managers and direct reports I guarantee – yes, I promise that your communication with each person will be transformed. You will learn bad news faster, get greater commitment and your team will work harder than ever to deliver for you.

Concept v. Behavior

2007-02-10T17:48:00.002-05:00

What do the following ideas have in common?
Let’s work harder……We can take it to the next level…She needs a better attitude…We can work better as a team…I am going to focus more.

They are all declarative concepts. They all focus on the outcome.
That's the right beginning, but there has to be a plan for the specific behaviors required in order to get that outcome. Without adding the behavior it’s hard to SEE how that outcome can be achieved, or what’s really going to happen.

SEE is the magic word here, because if I can’t SEE how it’s going to happen – that is, SEE the behavior – then it’s just a concept. (If this was a childrfen's book it would be called "What Do We See")?

The beauty of this principle is that the pass/fail consists of just one question: Can I see it? Let's take a real example like “working together”. That's the beginning concept, but is there a list of behaviors we will see when they are working together as a team? What does working together look like? When you SEE people working together what does it look like?

Once the concept is identified as the outcome, the next step is to make a list of some team behaviors that you can SEE. Here are some examples.

1. Discuss & agree on what each team member will do.
2. Agree on a specific outcome & the time needed to achieve it.
3. Create a time line of everything that has to happen – & when.
4. How many meetings & who has to attend?
5. Who is the team leader & what does she do?
6. How do disputes get resolved?
7. What other resources are needed to get started?
8. What is the cost of all resources needed?

You can SEE it, right? Everything on that list is a behavior and if everyone is taking action then the outcome will practically take care of itself. Those are just a few examples of what you might SEE when your team is “working together”.
Just ask, "can I see it"?

Book an Appointment with Yourself

2007-02-09T23:40:00.001-05:00

On an airplane passengers are told to put on their oxygen masks first and a child’s mask second. We know that’s because if you can’t take care of yourself you can’t take care of the kids. The same thing is true in business.
But your job has more crazy busy stuff than ever and lately, there's always a line outside your door. You’ve actually considered getting one of those “take a number” machines from the deli. You work for ten hours straight out and your TO DO list never ever gets shorter.

Right now – today - here’s one small but measurable way to take care of yourself first so you can take care of your team just a little better.

Book a one hour “work” appointment with yourself. Start small - twice a week to begin. Work your way up to daily. Start with a vow to make this one appointment that you absolutely do not cancel. No special equipment necessary. Just close your door, shut down the email and hang a sign that says “work in progress”. Really. It’s incredible what you can accomplish in one uninterrupted hour.

Here's the ingredient in the secret sauce to make this a home run: declare to everyone - or a few people - that you are doing this. Make it real and you can make it stick. When you're in there working tape a sign to your door that says "work hour in progress".

Two great things will happen: first, you will actually be doing the work YOU want to do. That includes thinking, by the way. Second, you will be a swell role model for your peers and staff.

Are You Thirsty?

2007-02-09T00:55:00.003-05:00

An actual true story.
A few years ago I attended a meeting with more than 100 senior managers in our company. One of the speakers was a smart and respected senior manager in our industry, radio. He began his session with one request to the group: “help me make a list of words that mean manager”.

There was a flip chart at the front of the room, and everyone was calling out words as fast as Bob could write them. First came the expected ones like teacher, boss, executive, leader, supervisor. Then it got a little more interesting with words like mentor, director, conductor, administrator, officer.

Then it started to get really interesting. And more challenging. True creativity showed up with ideas like boss lady, foreman, governor, superintendent, SOB, big cheese, top dog and zookeeper.

But he didn't stop. There were more than 50 words on big sheets of paper that had been taped to the walls. He kept saying, "we're close, but we're not there yet". His favorite definition for manager had not yet materialized. The guy next to me even tried Googling Thesaurus. com.

After fifteen minutes of yelling and writing on three filled-up flip chart sheets the room grew quiet. They were done. Out of words. ( Managers out of words??)

Bob knew many of the managers in the room and he started calling on a few, one by one. He was hinting and cajoling and a few more squeezed out, but THE word still wasn’t on paper yet. Thirty minutes had passed. Finally, Bob gave us his definition.

Water boy.

In my brain a water boy I see a scrawny guy wearing a sort-of diaper, trudging down a dusty road with a long stick spanning his shoulders and expanding well beyond. On each end of the stick is a huge bucket of heavy water swinging and sloshing. The sun is blazing. There was no image of me in that sort-of diaper.

Water boy. He was right. I got it. I saw it. I loved it. The group didn't get it because sadly, too many of the managers in that room thought it was the other way around. That their staff was in service to them.

Being a great manager means being in service to the people on your team. To serve up everything they need to do the job. And then some. And it should include bringing them water. And coffee. And encouragement, feedback and the truth.

Can you specifically recall the last person to whom you asked “how can I help you today?”

Try this: buy a couple of cases of water for your office. Every time you truly serve an employee, offer a bottle of water. Keep count for yourself but don't tell anyone what you’re doing. This is just for you. See how fast you can give away every bottle of water.

Socrates Was Right

2007-02-06T00:14:00.003-05:00

Recently I wrote about Susie the salesperson who made a mistake on an estimate. As her boss plans his approach to deliver some "constructive" criticism how will he create a good outcome? What is his definition of a good outcome? A good outcome is one where Susie truly participates in figuring out what she did wrong and how to correct it.

Criticism is too often a big spiky stick that management swings around willy nilly. (Look it up - it's a real word). Put down the stick and conjur up Socrates. Resist the easy road of criticism and lead Susie to a solution by asking questions.

An effective method of teaching - and managing - is the Socratic Method. The Harvard Business School calls it the Case Study Method. Instead of being lectured to, the student or employee gains the desired knowledge not by simply absorbing facts and theories, but also by exercising the skills of leadership and teamwork in the face of real problems. They analyze and synthesize data and points of view and they define and prioritize goals.

Active participation and questioning unearths that “ah ha!” moment where the employee sees the light on her own.

I encourage you to be a Socratic manager. You may not get it right at first and it takes longer. And it also leads to permanent learning for your employees.

As Susie’s boss you might ask any of the following without judgment:
What client assumptions did you begin with?
How did you know those were accurate?
What did you do to confirm or challenge your assumptions?
What can you differently next time to test your assumptions?
What does the client want?
What was the outcome you anticipated before the meeting began?
Who can you partner with to help uncover your weak areas?

Ask more and tell less.

Constructive? Criticism

2007-02-04T00:38:00.003-05:00

You just learned that Susie the salesperson miscalculated a job estimate and now you’re thinking about the “constructive” criticism you will deliver when she gets back to the office. But first, let’s get a little more precise and call it by its real name: criticism. We add the “constructive” part to make ourselves feel better.

Of course we have to critically assess our people all the time, but it’s possible to criticize in a way that creates a good outcome. You do it by not criticizing at all.

Isn’t it true that your best employees are harder on themselves than you will ever be? If your answer is yes, that’s good news. It means that the hardest part of offering criticism has already been done - by them. Now you get to do the interesting part: uncovering what went wrong.

The ultimate outcome that you're after is one where Susie will never make (that) mistake again, right? The best way to make that happen is to include Susie in figuring out the solution. But - she can’t do that very well if she feels ashamed & embarrassed.

Instead, you can get the outcome you want by asking questions. Yes, you’re busy, & asking questions will take more time and it’s faster to just tell her what she did wrong wrong wrong blah blah blah.

You always have a choice. You can lead Susie to the outcome you want by asking questions or by criticizing. And I promise you that the first one works better.

So, sit her down and talk it out for ten minutes. Put a clock on it because that's all it will take.
Ask questions & she might understand her error faster.
Ask questions and she will know that you are contributing to her development.
Ask questions and she really might not make (that) mistake again.

Intention v. Behavior

2007-02-02T20:07:00.001-05:00

Right next to that huge pile of papers on my desk there is an equally huge pile of invisible papers. On the invisible pile sits an invisible sign that says “Important Things I Am Going To Do”. Except that I almost never do the things in the invisible pile. But I really intend to do those things and I’ve made commitments to myself and my staff to do them. Soon. Really. I will.

We certainly have good intentions, and good intentions mean a lot. And we have lists; lists where we keep writing down what we plan to do. But good intentions are not the same as good activity. In other words, thinking about doing something is a million miles away from actually doing something.

This is one of those management concepts that is simple, but not easy: do not confuse intention & behavior. It only counts when you DO it.

Intention: you're planning to do the things in your pile.
Behavior: you're doing the things in your pile.
Confusion: the murky place between intention & behavior where you sort of believe that you've done the stuff in the pile.
Reiteration: it only counts when you DO the stuff in the pile.

Probation is for Criminals

2007-02-01T01:20:00.002-05:00

Here’s a management gem that is so very wrong. It’s the idea that an employee should be put on “probation” for poor performance. When does that work?? Do we really believe that the frightening threat of job loss will suddenly bring about a new and never-before-experienced high quality of work than ever before??

Is this really what you’re thinking: “I’ll just confront Ethel & tell her how crummy her work has been. If it doesn’t improve immediately and permanently then unfortunately, it will be over for her in 30 days”. I get that cringey feeling just by typing that.

We're all familiar with that absurd tactic. And I know that some of you think I'm the one who is absurd because you believe that fear is a great motivator and an employee on probabation will "crank it up" and do the best work they can. Ok, I'll give you one: I do agree that fear is a motivator, but it's not great. It's a terrible motivator.

An employee who is frightened about losing her job cannot do her best work for very long. In fact, her best efforts are more likely to go in the direction of looking for a new job. An employee who is on probation is, at best, terribly distracted. She probably worries every day about whether she can truly save her job. Adios good work.

So, what's the right move? As long as someone is on the payroll or on your team your #1 respnsibility as their manager is to provide the best guidance, feedback and help that you can. Do everything you can think of toto help her do a better job. You might increase the frequency of your one-to-one meetings, you can give her more feedback and and you can begin to discuss "the bigger picture" of her career and her job. You might even be able to "counsel" her out of the job and she'll think it was her idea.

Probation is for criminals, not your employees.

Go First

2007-01-31T20:07:00.001-05:00

Think about the last disagreement you had with anyone. Probably a loved one or a friend. If the outcome was an agreement about some behavior that “has to change”, there’s a common occurence that often follows. We’ve both agreed that the behavior has to change - and we believe it will change - but (be very honest here) we think that the other person should change first. Often, that's because we think they're wrong - not us - and therefore of course they should change first.

As a manager, when you want a different outcome do you often think that your staff should change their behavior? I suggest that if there is changing to be done, then YOU should be the one who steps up and changes first. As yourself what you can do differently that would cause the team to respond differently?

We can’t control others anyway; we can only control ourselves. And I believe that deeply despite the over-bearing control freak that you work for because hard as she tries, she can’t control you, right?

Deciding to “go first” is leadership at its finest.

Hope Called in Sick Today

2007-01-31T20:01:00.001-05:00

HOPE is a word that has no place in business (unless it’s the first name of your talented assistant). Every time you hear it said out loud some sort of imaginary buzzer in your brain should alert you at a painful decibel. Then a neon ribbon should scroll across your eyes that says, "an employee is about to hope for something, rather than do something".

I admit this is a little cheesy, but hearing someone say “I hope” bugged me so much that I created a little ceremony at the start of some meetings. I put an empty chair off to the side of the room and taped a piece of paper with the word 'Hope' on it. I said that Hope was our imaginary magical employee...the one who made sure that all the right things happened.

Inevitably, someone woulde say that word and I would (politely) interrupt. I would say that Hope would be joining us soon, but since she hadn’t arrived yet there was no Hope in this meeting. That would take us to the “do” part of the conversation nicely.

We had a great team and the managers picked up on this idea pretty quickly; we all agreed that Hope really wasn’t likely to actually show up at any of our meetings. Instead, we created action plans.

Don’t hope. Do.

I'd Like to Thank Everyone

2007-01-31T19:36:00.001-05:00

You can practically hear the groans in the room when a manager starts a meeting by saying' "I'd like to thank everyone for their hard work, and there are just too many of you to thank individually."

Thanking everyone is totally unacceptable. People do not want to be part of everyone. It’s a cop out, it’s lazy and the worst part is that nobody ends up feeling thanked. You know that’s true because at some point in time you’ve been part of the thank you everyone and you didn’t feel thanked….right??

To be fair, I believe that the thanker’s sentiment is genuine, but so what? If the goal is for people to feel genuinely thanked, then you have to do it one by one and use their names, if possible. And if you didn’t thank them personally before the meeting then find them immediately after the meeting and do it in person.

And then, write it down. Send an email. Put a note on the bulletin board. Post it on one of those greeter boards in the lobby. Take out an ad in their hometown paper. Write a note to their parents. Call their spouses and their kids.

Nobody has ever been over-thanked. Now that would be a great goal.

The Rule of Ten

2007-01-31T18:52:00.003-05:00

Learning "The Rule of Ten" was like finding a buried treasure. And it has never let me down. Chances are you know this rule by another name – but I'd like to suggest how you might put it to use in business.

First, here's how the Rule works: first, imagine your ten salespeople at your next meeting. Introduce a new idea. Anything. A new product, a new commission plan or even where to have lunch. Here’s the treasure part: once you've presented that new idea…three will love it, three will hate it and four will be on the fence. It works that way almost every time. It’s a little scary.

Go back to the part where you’ve just rolled out the new commission plan. Here's how your ten sellers responded; three had their arms folded & they were rolling their eyes, three liked the idea and the remaining four didn't know what to think. They just look confused.

Maybe, recalling that scene discourages or derails you a little. Or bugs you. Or flat out pissed you off. Are you thinking that you worked hard on the plan and instead of criticizing or doubting why don't they help make it better? Here's how you use the Rule of Ten.

Next time, go into that meeting expecting the Rule of Ten to show up. If you expect the resistance from one third of the people you won't get discouraged. And it won't derail you. And that can change everything.

That new expectation will enable you to choose your actions, rather than merely react. You can choose whether to engage in a debate at that moment or save it for later. Best of all, you can ensure that you aren’t derailed or annoyed.

Pretty soon, you’ll start to be entertained by the reliability of the The Rule of Ten. And it’s way better to be amused than annoyed.

Idol Management

2007-01-31T18:09:00.004-05:00

In case you don’t know the identity of this trio (where do you live??) they are the three judges of American Idol. I started watching the show just this season & I am fascinated by the way they approach the audition process.

It's fascinating to watch because practically every person auditioning is in a highly charged state; this is their "chance of a lifetime". Often, one of the three divas will encourage timid or even poor singers by telling them to believe in themselves….because if they don’t “believe”, then the audience won’t believe. Even though the person doesn't have a prayer of qualifiying the advice they're giving would be terrific in any workplace.

Belief is a very important part of the management process. Your team will surely make mistakes, and that will test your belief in them. Too often, employees become afraid that even one mistake might cause them to lose your respect - or even their jobs. I hope that seems crazy t0 you, but that's how it works in a lot of companies. Too many, I fear.

Instead, imagine how great it would be if a (potentially) fearful employee really knew that his boss believed in him….believed that he was the right person for the job, despite the mistake. Because even talented people make mistakes. Yeah, yeah you know that. We all know that. But do you manage to that truth? Would our staff say that you believe that?

Empowerment has been a business buzzword for a while, with lots of definitions. When managers send a message of belief to their employees that is an example of true empowerment at work.

High performers are often harder on themselves than you will ever be. (Is that true for you?) When you are leading well your team will take responsibility for their mistakes right away – if you make it safe for them to do so. It's on your to make sure that your employees know you believe in them.

Tell them. Make it safe for them to make and admit mistakes. If you do it successfully your employees will take responsibility for their mistakes every time, big time.