03 Nov 09 Communicating Survival
As I continue to work on a special report regarding managing workplace layoff survivors, I’m finding that there are some very consistent communication methods that effective leaders are using. I’d like your thoughts on this:
1. Have as serious a communication strategy with those that are still part of the organization as you did when layoffs were looming. Even if the message is that there are no changes, a lack of communication promotes suspicion and lack of trust.
2. Sincere appreciation from top management to all employees, recognizing the challenges of the current situation and without reference to the “dire” needs of the company. A note saying that management understands the emotional challenge of losing good co-workers can go a long way to communicating empathy.
Survivors need leadership too
3.No BS about future changes. If there is a possibility of future layoffs it is not necessary to trumpet that there will be more people losing their jobs, but it is important to let people know that there may be additional organizational challenges and that they will be kept abreast of these changes as they come into play.
4.Schedule get togethers both formal and informal between leadership and staff to discuss upcoming decision schedules and to get input from employees, not about what the decisions should be, but about how they should be handled.
5.Senior management should take responsibility for much of this communication and not depend on front line supervisors to trickle down the information. They are as disturbed by the changes as anybody and it is a senior leadership responsibility to be accountable for organization-wide changes. That means it is a senior leadership responsibility to communicate to employees.
6.At the same time, senior leadership should take the opportunity as a coaching moment with their management and supervisors. Let the middle and lower level managers know the thought process and let them in on the communication plan. Let them feel like leaders, even if they are not the ones doing the communicating. Ensure that employees and supervisors alike understand that senior leaders are doing the talking, not because they don’t trust line management, but because they may have more answers and a bigger picture.
Managing organizations that have had major personnel challenges can be a challenge because, regardless of what you tell your folks, they will be suspicious and they will be hurt. They have already suffered from losing long-term relationships and assuming that they can just “let it go” and “get back to work” is short sighted and reflects a lack of understanding as to what motivates people. Even with ridiculously busy schedules, senior leadership has to take the time to reach out to employees. It is not just a nice thing to do, it is a way to get the organization back on track as quickly and effectively as possible.
Tags: accountability, change, courage, fear, trust
17 Oct 09 Why so angry?
Friday afternoon I was running errands when I realized that absolutely everywhere I went, there were angry people. Angry in the parking lot because a car was parked over the line, angry in the grocery store because the older lady at the self-check-out didn’t know how to use the machine and angry on the road because somebody in the right lane needed to cut over quickly to turn left. Earlier I was updating my column on TheStreet.Com and reflecting on the fact that, when people disagree with me (or any writer it seems), they don’t simply express their opinion anymore but feel the need to call me (or any writer it seems) an idiot because we don’t share the same point-of-view.
As leaders, this is an important trend to which we should pay attention. Anger serves many purposes, at least in the short-run, and one of those is to oppose and offset authority. More specifically, rage provides an internal justification for setting the balance straight. When there is a perceived power imbalance we have a number of strategies to achieve equilibrium and one of them is righteous indignation. We feel we have a right to be angry which in turn tends to surface the inequality and, if nothing else, turn the attention (or power) to the angered rather than to the offense. And this move almost always eliminates any possibility of a mutual solution. Anger can be a powerful and appropriate tool when the outcomes are limited to a “go” or “no-go” set of variables. When the solution needs to be found in a more complex range of options, anger is counterproductive.
Anger should not be the first choice
I don’t propose to have all of the answers about dealing with the anger issue but I do know that it is an ongoing challenge for leaders when they try to engage their employees or deal with the realities of an imperfect world. The first step is to ensure that you are not modeling the behavior yourself. Attempting to motivate others through anger simply reinforces the idea that you hold angry people in high respect. Rewarding angry behavior has the same outcome. Helping your followers develop conflict strategies before an issue arises, and holding them accountable to using them, may be the best strategy of all.
What do you think? Is so much anger justified? Is there a way you have dealt with this in the past from which we could all learn?
Tags: accountability, anger, courage, Energy, Global Leadership, honesty, trust
05 Oct 09 Change Acceptance–Part 2
If Change Acceptance starts with Unawareness and ends with Owning, how long does it take and how do you advance through the stages? This is an important question since, left to our own devices, we will advance at least to the “Knowing” stage. Eventually. Helping your followers discover Buying and Owning however is usually a conscious effort. But it doesn’t have to be a complicated one.
1. When your followers are Unaware. The challenge with unawareness is timing. There may be a short period of time where followers need to be unaware because whether or not a change is likely to happen may be unsure. It will always be that, as a leader, you have information that not everybody else has. While I strongly support transparency, there is sometimes a period of time where you have to get it together before discussing it. But beware…this has to be a very short period of time. Unawareness starts to go away with the first hint of new information or activity. As soon as the change begins, it is important to provide information to everybody as quickly as possible.
2. When your followers are Suspicious. Once information begins to flow, suspicion will follow even in the healthiest situations. Followers have to go from hearing the information to somehow understanding it. While information is the antidote to unawareness, dialogue is the antidote to suspicion. Our minds hate a vacuum, so if you do not provide an opportunity for us to air our concerns and for you to answer our specific questions, we will add to the story ourselves. Open and honest discussion will eliminate much of the space available to rumor.
3. When your followers are Knowing. You must really pay attention once you feel that your followers are up-to-speed on the new direction and the change that is underway. This phase is crucial because here there will be some who decide to “opt-out.” Now that they are aware of the change, they may decide it isn’t worth it to be invested in the change. In this arena, both passive and active support and resistance start to take place. And the danger around those checking out is that they will take others with them. To continue a positive momentum, not only should you be sharing information and continuing dialogue, but actively engaging followers to make the change happen. Committees or project groups should be put together in this stage so that they can take the next step to owning. We don’t own those things that we talk about…we own those things that we do.
The team has to be involved for change to be accepted.
4. When your followers are Buying. Once you see the support building for the change it is time to stop talking so much about it and start supporting whatever activity that you see moving the organization in the right direction. This is a time of great positive action, yet it is also a time to be careful. Your objective in this case is to make the change concrete. You don’t want to continue building cheerleaders…you want to start developing owners. Let go of some of the details and let their creativity take a role. Continue supporting, but stop shaping and let others take that role. Only then will they feel it is their own.
5. When your followers are Owning. It is likely that another change will come soon, if it hasn’t already. In many cases, organizations are still trying to figure out how to buy one change when they are suspicious of another. It is important to celebrate the ownership of the change by reflecting to your followers what THEY have accomplished. This is sometimes a difficult place for leaders because they have worked hard on the success of the change and now feel that they no longer get credit. Don’t worry…everybody will know the role you played. But you should not be reminding them. All of your conversation should be about when “we” started this and how “we” or “you” have succeeded. If you insist on taking credit in the end, you will find it harder to pass along ownership in the future.
Unfortunately, there is no hard-fast rule about how long this takes. It takes as long as it takes. But if you will focus on moving your organization through the process, you will find that you can accelerate it. Remember, you are ahead of them in coming to grips with the change. Be patient but be diligent. The sooner your followers own the change, the more effective you and your organization will be.
Tags: change, courage, expectations, Global Leadership, trust
20 Aug 09 The Leader’s Focus
As long as there are writers on the topic of leadership, there will be a debate about what qualities strong leaders should possess. I have also tossed in my offering to this list in earlier blogs and articles. The problem for all of us who think we “know” what it takes to be a successful leader is that most of our lists are somewhat dependent on context. In other words, of all of the possible characteristics successful leaders may hold, some will be successful with one set of characteristics while others will be successful primarily on the strengths of an entirely different set.
This is o.k. of course and why leadership is not really a robotic task. It takes the unique combination of strengths, talents and experiences of a leader to make leadership truly authentic for him or her. And that’s a great thing. To think that there is somehow a magic formula of just enough of one plus just enough of another is fairly ridiculous.
It's not what you call yourself that makes you a leader...it's what you provide to others
I think that’s a rather brilliant way to look at the role of the leader…as one who provides for success. When he clarifies what he is talking about, Marshall Goldsmith states that leaders of the future must do the following for their followers:
Encourage their passion. Professionals need to look forward to coming to work in the morning. Loving their work is critical.
Enhance their ability. Look beyond the skills needed for today and help professionals learn the skills they will need tomorrow.
Value their time. Realize their time is precious also — don’t waste it.
Build their network. By enabling professionals to establish strong networks inside and outside the organization, you gain a huge edge and much loyalty.
Support their dreams. The best professionals are working for more than money; they have a dream of making a meaningful contribution in their field.
Expand their contribution. Provide them with opportunities that they cannot provide themselves.
As simple as this sounds, consider these provisions in light of the leaders that have been heralded in the past couple of decades. This is not so much Jack Welch or Lee Iaccoca or Ken Lewis is it? Not that these guys haven’t been successful in their own rights, but the point Goldsmith is making is that times are changing, followers are changing, and leaders will have to change as well.
Make sense? What do you think?
Tags: accountability, courage, Global Leadership, Leadership characteristics, leadership integrity, trust, vision
27 Jan 09 It’s not my fault
A colleague sent me the video link to an interview between Maria Bartiromo from CNBC and John Thain, the recently booted CEO of Merrill Lynch. As I watched (it gets good about 9 minutes in) it occured to me that this man is truly surprised at his current situation. For one thing, he thought he was staying “after a short time—with good results.” He actually says those words. Second, when challenged about the results, he is entirely powerless. It was about the world getting out of hand. Third, all of the problems for which he is blamed are “legacy” problems, which by the way is the new phrase for “It’s not my fault.” And finally, when asked about the egregious bonuses that Merrill paid just before the bailout money flowed in, he said it was the only way to keep good people.
My interest is not about Thain. However, if you look at the steady stream of justifications these days from some of the more blatantly busted leaders, you will find this theme of “It’s not my fault” as a constant reminder that great leaders…I would argue all great leaders…take responsibility. Even some of the not so great leaders are able to acknowledge their role in misleading. But as I’ve mentioned before, when the leadership approach is “the ends justify the means,” it should not be a surprise that when some leaders are challenged about the “how” and not just the “what,” they are truly and honestly surprised. This is the valueless leader.
Interestingly enough, Paul Pendergrass in the New York Times refers to the fact that John Thain finally stood up for himself. Really? If you count granting an interview as standing up for yourself, then o.k. But in terms of true, courageous and accountable leadership, not so much.
Tags: accountability, courage, John Thain, trust
25 Jan 09 Leading to the brink
Sorry for the abnormally long post today but I almost landed in jail yesterday. No kidding. Luckily I’m not writing this sitting to a new best friend because I aborted the mission in time, but the experience has revealed an interesting leadership question as well.
First, the situation. My son is 11 years old and plays on a local recreation basketball team. He’s pretty good and the tallest member of the team. He plays for the “Kings” who were, funny enough, playing against the “Little Kings.” My son’s coach is a good guy, perhaps not the best coach on the planet, but focused on teaching the kids and developing a love of the game. The coach of the Little Kings on the other hand is an animated, loud, in-your-face kinda guy that coaches his team with a much more aggressive style and is ALL about winning. We’ll call him Big Mouth (because it’s so satisfying to call him that and because this is MY blog. 
Second quarter. Big Mouth not only screams at his own team, but screams at ours. This gets more and more frustrating because he’s actually trash talking a group of 11-year olds. My son is in front of the scorers table, down on one knee, getting ready to sub when Big Mouth comes over within a foot or two and starts telling my son that the Little Kings are the real Kings and that this is his house, etc etc.
Enough. My PLAN was to go down to the floor, wait until the refs were near me, and complain that they had to back Big Mouth off. That was my PLAN. Unfortunately, the refs during a time out stayed at half court. And here’s when it gets dicey.
Did you know that they get reallllllly uptight when an irate father goes out on the floor…in the middle of the game…to talk to the refs? Yeah, me neither. Did you know that they go immediately from “What can we do to help you?” to “You have to get off the floor” in about 5 seconds? Yeah, me neither. In between was, “Big Mouth is much better than he was last year” to which of course I said, “I don’t care about last year. I’m talking about now.” They didn’t care much for that either.
It doesn’t help that I’m not nor have I ever been a basketball player, so the rule about staying off the court is not as sacred to me as apparently it is to some.
Just so you know, I had originally gone to the rec office before barging out on the court and they had told me that the league supervisor wasn’t there and I would need to call on Monday. Now, with me standing in the middle of the court, a guy comes charging over to tell me I have to leave not only the court but the building. I have no idea who he is and I’m not finished yet. He sees this so the next explanation he gives is that the police are going to take me out of the building. Still not feeling it. THEN he tells me that my son’s team is about to forfeit the game because of me. Ah. That’s a different issue.
Ok, the good news. When I finally got my sorry butt off the floor and went out with the supervisor, calmed down and he understood that I had originally looked for him but was told he wasn’t there, the situation changed. It helped that I, sincerely, apologized for my behavior over and over again and soon he was listening to the situation, understood the problem, and all ended up well.
Now, here’s what interests me about this from a leadership standpoint. After the game (we lost), a steady flow of fathers came up to me saying things like, “Man, if you hadn’t done that I was going to,” and “the league has to do something about Big Mouth,” and of course a handful that said, “Don’t you know you can’t go out on the court!”
However, this steady flow of fathers also went to the supervisor filing complaints about this coach. They pointed out other issues where the rules of the league weren’t being followed by the way this coach plays the game. The end result is that the league is having a coach and officials meeting on Wednesday to re-emphasize the game rules while at the same time, putting coach Big Mouth on notice that his behavior won’t be tolerated.
Did I lead those fathers to action? Apparently. Am I proud of my behavior? Not at all. It violated my own values and what I try to teach my son. However, was it so outrageous that it shocked the system into responding? Apparently. Because the rec league also has a set of values and seeing an otherwise mild-mannered father going beserk in the middle of the court in the middle of the game was enough to prompt THEIR leadership to say, “Hey, we’ve been ignoring a real problem that needs to be addressed.”
For those of you that are parents by the way, I know the nagging question in your mind and here’s the thing. Apparently I didn’t embarrass my son too badly because during the timeout he was busy getting coaches instructions and to him, if I was out on the court talking to these people, it must be because I needed to.
Sometimes we have to follow our instinct and do the outrageous if we really want to lead others. Sometimes we need to shock the system enough to get others that are part of the system to step up and take action. Sometimes we have to push the written and unwritten rules enough to remind people that some things take precedent over tradition. And sometimes, we have to know when to shut up, sit down, and consider ourselves lucky that our emotions didn’t lead us to a consequence that we really don’t want to pay.
Tags: courage, emotion, leadership action, Values
22 Jan 09 The Courage of a Kennedy
One thing is for sure. Whether you love them or hate them, the Kennedy clan is obviously infused with a great deal of courage. The courage of their convictions, the courage of their position and, more recently, the courage to make unpopular decisions.
I am writing specifically about Caroline Kennedy and her decision to withdraw from the New York Senatorial race. Although much could be said about Ted Kennedy’s amazing courage in his physical challenges (by sheer determination he shook the hands of Barack Obama before collapsing), from a leadership perspective, Caroline Kennedy will not receive from most people the credit she truly deserves.
As a notably subdued and extremely intelligent person, she undoubtedly entered the senatorial consideration knowing that there would be a lot of media attention and scrutiny. She initially handled this as a true leader—focusing on the real decision maker (the governor) rather than the desires of the media. In my opinion, considering that the LAW (17th amendment to the constitution) states it is the governor’s decision, trying to turn it into a public election was almost entirely a media circus. (Come on…who cares how many times she says “you know”).
Now, she didn’t call me for advice nor do I have a straight interpretation into her mind. But her disclosure today that she is withdrawing from consideration, in my personal perspective, reveals a level of backbone and courage that New York may wish they had taken the opportunity to know. After being treated disrespectfully from the beginning, it is possible that she began to see how her term would likely be covered and, in turn, how her effectiveness would be reduced. Caroline Kennedy has a long history of results oriented leadership and media involvement, so it is not that she should have been surprised. Perhaps she decided that this specific leadership role would be more about the image and less about the content. As such, it is a courageous, but effective decision, to focus on areas where she can have results as opposed to those where she may be less effectual.
At least that’s how I see it.
Tags: Caroline Kennedy, constitution, courage, Leadership Decision-making, New York Senate
17 Jan 09 Culture of Failure
In my experience, employees in large and small organizations are concerned about taking risk and failure. “Fear of Failure” is one of the greatest inhibitors in these organizations to not only innovation, but to the act of execution itself. When leaders are afraid of making mistakes, they play safe…which is not the job of the leader. Leaders have to be willing to make decisions with partial information in order to achieve the results that are required in most organizations today.
The quandry comes from trying to figure out how to promote a culture of risk-taking while at the same time holding people to high levels of quality. This is an issue that perplexes leaders whether they are in Germany or Japan where quality is a high source of pride or in France or Russia where quality is perceived differently but pride is important.
One way to approach this problem is to realize that when most people say they are afraid of failure, what they are really saying is that they are avoiding embarassment or criticism. Failure itself is inevitable at times and most people know that. For a leader to create a culture of innovation and decision-making, he or she has to adopt a set of behaviors that critically examine the causes of failure while validating the people who were involved. Fear of failure can actually be fear of blame and it is within the power of leaders to establish a culture free of blame. By looking at the results, context and decision making in a particular instance, the focus becomes less on the decision-maker and more on the outcome of the process itself.
Tags: courage, culture, Failure, risk-taking
19 Dec 08 Strong Global Leaders (I) – Courage and Focus
It is sometimes difficult for us to consider “what makes a strong leader?” Often this is one of those know-it-when-I-see-it kind of experiences, but after working with hundreds if not thousands of leaders in the last 20 years either in my workshops, seminars, coaching or speaking, I am convinced there are some consistent characteristics that we can use to determine a leader has the “right stuff.”
As you read this, consider some of the leaders not only in your life, but in politics and discussion today. As of this writing, for example, Carolyn Kennedy is being considered for the vacated Hillary Clinton Senate seat in New York. The general debate is about experience, but perhaps it should be more about leadership. Regardless, here’s how I measure good leaders:
Courage: I firmly believe that this is one of the most overlooked yet important global characteristics of leadership. Leaders have to make hard decisions and they have to be willing to deal with the fact that not all constituencies are going to agree. Courage is the willingness to allow your decisions and actions to continue to reflect your convictions, even when they are not popular or are not held by conventional wisdom.
Focus: As well as courage, leaders also have to have the ability to see through the clutter and establish direction for themselves and their followers. I have been asked repeatedly now, what will it take to get out of this crisis mentality. Confidence and a sense of stability are both large parts of the answer which are inspired through a leader who is not shaken by turmoil or chaos.
Tags: courage, focus, Global Leadership, leader characteristics
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