Management Craft

Action and Mental Garbage Model

I hope you have a great week. Here is a quick model that I hope helps you shape your week. You choose the path and how many self-imposed barriers you allow to slow you down. Openness - versus defensiveness - enables us to fully trust in ourselves because we take in the world fully and can respond flexibly. When we carry a lot of mental garbage, we rely more on history that might not be relevant for today, inflexible mental models, manic mantras, and motivational posters to guide us. Why do we need to list our values? Answer: Because we are not open enough to fully trust ourselves.

I saw the master in action this weekend. #leadership #managment

I spent an afternoon with a dear friend yesterday. We chatted over lunch and walked around his beach town. I have always admired his engaging and caring way - he is a leader who makes others feel like they have his full attention and consideration and they do (that's the important part - it is sincere, not an act).

Why? Because he thinks and lives this way. He notices people and things and takes the initiative to be helpful and caring. More so than most people. More so than I do - by a long shot.

I have always known this about my friend but I was reminded - in a vivid way - during our walk. Those who we passed received a smile and hello. Someone had dropped a baby bottle on the walking path, he picked it up and put it on the cement wall so the owner could find it and no one would trip over it. We passed a couple who were taking pictures of each other, he asked if he could take their picture together and then had some fun with them to make sure they got a great shot. He interacted with people on the street, in shops, and in the restaurant in ways that made each smile and brighten.

You might be thinking that I am a little nuts for calling this out because these human acts are quite normal - or they should be. It is true that any one of these moments would be considered what it means to be a good person - nothing extraordinary.

But here is the distinction. He oozed care in every moment. He was aware of others, noticed others, proactively cared for others, and did so while being fully engaged in our conversation. I was much less aware of others.

My friend is someone for whom people love working and he brings out the best in them. And here is the main point of this post. WE can and should do this, too. It does not take a training class or being a particular behavioral style. We can relate to others in this way if we:

• Choose to be a powerful and positive influence on others.
• Take the time and attention to notice others.
• And then be gracious, kind, friendly, and helpful more often.

Don't go rushing to include these expectations in your new employee orientation. Don't add it to your performance review or create a management competency called, "caring." Just try being more demonstrably caring and see what happens. Lead from a basis of positive care for others and you will find that your days, weeks, and years are more amazing and that your good vibe spreads.

After spending the afternoon with my friend, I found myself thinking about how I can improve what I notice and how I respond to others. I am no ogre, BTW, but I can and want to demonstrate care more often - for everyone, not just a chosen few.

You have likely heard the mind teaser about the tree - if a tree falls in a forest but no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

I have to ask the same thing about caring for others. If we care but no one experiences our affection and goodwill, does it exist? I think that the vast majority of people are caring in terms of our intentions. Most of us are quite selective about how we give of ourselves and I am not sure this serves us, our intentions, or others well.

These tiny actions - smiles, pictures, gestures of help - add up and to make a very big and wonderful impression. Remember, though, that although this benefit is compelling, it should not be the reason that we choose to live a more generous (of ourselves) life. My friend does not think about this. In fact, I am guessing he would think this blog post is quite odd indeed.

What's Your Big Idea? How Many Can You Generate? #management #innovation

This post is inspired by four thoughts coming together.

1. A few years ago I pitched a book idea to Berrett-Koehler's President, Steve Piersanti. He passed on the book because the idea was unremarkable. He asked, "what's your big idea?" And he said, "I don't see it here." He was right, BTW.

2. A mentor of mine was trying to help me lower my expectations for a project that was frustrating me by suggesting that, "most people have only one revolutionary idea in their lifetime." He was wrong, BTW.

3. I was reviewing a piece of writing for a friend. He took a perfectly logical approach to laying out his idea but one that ended up stripping out the drama, magic, and most importantly, his big ideas. Ironically, his topic is innovation. And he has great ideas - big ideas.

4. I was re-reading Meg Wheatley's Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World (a must read for all managers) and was re-struck by her assertion that information is a force, not a thing. And that change occurs in jumps enabled by invisible connections. Big ideas are ideas that make quantum leaps and this happens every day (it is not a rare thing, see #2).

I believe that you and all your team members have the potential to generate MANY big ideas. But often, we don't know how to A) identify them, B) convey them, and C) use them.

Think about this the next time you create an email, a PPT, or have a conversation. What is the big idea that you want to share? Is it coming through in your communication? Start with the big idea first to generate interest and engagement. Great books do this, too. I remember one of my publishers suggesting that I move a chapter that I had in the second half of the book to the beginning because it contained the big idea (in Focus Like a Laser Beam, I think). I fought to keep the Tony Bennett story in the front of my book Hip and Sage because I knew that it encapsulated the big idea behind the book (I won, BTW, and I love the way it starts the conversation about relevancy and vibrancy).

When I coach, I am looking to discover the big idea each person has that makes up their unique brand of leadership - what is driving them every day?

And as a manager, you will catalyze team member success when you help each person define and convey their big ideas. In fact, I think one of the funnest and most special things we can do is to be mid-wives for big ideas.

Managers: Embrace your flawedness - and everyone's. @brenebrown

I love this article from Brene Brown called, Want to be Happy? Stop trying to be perfect.

When I teach management, I often talk about how we are all highly flawed and highly talented and embracing it all is a recipe for success (not just the talent part). I don't freak out when people do annoying or strange little things - we all do this. I don't let a botched delivery get in the way of great intent. I have stopped hiding my scars because I know everyone can see them. We are our idiosyncrasies.

I was talking to someone recently who pointed out a typo on one of my blog posts. I thought, "really, that's what you want to talk about?" I bet I have more typos than freckles in the sunshine. But seriously, how we think about flaws and imperfections can become barriers - or not if we don't stop to take too much notice.

And besides, most of it is in the eye of the beholder which means it is all bunk.

Managers, Are You Telling TOO Many Stories? Be a little more messy. @tylercowen

I really like this TEDx talk from economist Tyler Cowen called Be suspicious of stories. I think anyone in a leadership role should watch it and think about what it might mean. Like Tyler, I am not advocating we stop using story - but it is useful to think about the potential ramifications of oversimplifying things through story. Stories, by their nature, are easy to remember and draw broad conclusions.

For managers and leaders, stories can pull people in, galvanize them, and build momentum. The down side is that many situations are more complex than can be told in a story and are not helped when made into a punchline.

I have seen employees roll their eyes and have heard them say their manager was clueless after hearing him/her oversimplify a situation. Work life (and personal life!) is messy and stories can increase mental laziness.

Check out the talk here.

My favorite line from the video is, "It might just be a mess." How often do we force one or two plotlines onto something that is not plot driven? How often do we assume intent where there is just chaos? How often do we rush into a convenient narrative that does not fit the circumstance because we can't find a narrative that works?

Share this video as pre-work for your next team meeting and see what happens.

 

Hallmarks of Good #Communication Systems and Practices

Here is a list of criteria I use to evaluate communication systems and practices. While no system will demonstrate all of these elements, the more the better.

1. More PULL than PUSH. More than being inclusive, it engages people and is interesting.
2. Nimble and changeable with built in feedback loops.
3. No reduction of core content (intent, emotion, connective elements, calls to action). (Content degradation is common when information cascades from high to lower levels, for example.)
4. As simple as possible. Low hassle factor.
5. Works when imperfectly executed. Never build a system that only your top 10% of managers or employees will use properly. The best systems work even when people botch aspects of it.
6. Serves all/many stakeholders and users.
7. Sustainable. Can be maintained and continued.
8. Leaders change with the topic (is not a one way or lead by same person all the time).
9. It is clear – everyone knows their role and the overall flow of information.

Use this list to test out your current communication practices or when you come up with new ideas for improvement.

#Book Signing Disaster and How to Avoid - Funny and Tragic

I just got an email from someone who discovered an essay I wrote a few years ago about a book signing distaster. The essay was published by the legendar editor Alan Rinzler and is meant to be dark comedy. You can check it out here.

I remember reading this essay to a group of aspiring writers....they seemed a bit horrified, because they were all likely hoping that nothing like this would ever happen to them. It likely will, however, because nearly all writers have similar experiences at some point.

I thought I would share this again as we head into the weekend. Sometimes the best way to progress through difficulty is to laugh and learn. Enjoy.

When and How to Stand Your Ground #Management

I was talking with a committee about the launch of their new program. When they agreed to own the design and delivery of the program, they did so with a few assumptions and implied agreements. They told the employees what they were working on and the overall parameters they would follow. The employees seemed interested and positive.

Along the way, the senior leaders changed a few things and in one case, made what the committee had told the employees untrue. The committee members were upset and considered quitting the program.

As is often the case, miscommunication was at the heart of this issue. For two weeks the committee members quietly stewed and their disappointment was palpable.

When they finally talked with leaders, they found our that while there were a couple of changes to the design of the program, these changes were not going to have the negative effect they feared. The committee felt a sigh of relief and were once again mentally on board.

The reason I share this story is because I think it is a shame that two weeks went by before the conversation took place that would resolve the issue. Sometimes the needed conversation never happens because we assume that we cannot have an impact or we assume that what we have heard is correct.

What's eating you? I have found that at least 50% of the time, the issue is more miscommunication than anything. This is not always the case, but often. What a shame to waste time and effort - and engagement - while these issues linger in the workplace air.

Start the conversation. State that you want to make sure you are understanding the decisions and intentions correctly. Ask clarifying questions that ensure that you are not jumping to conclusions or that help the decision makers consider all relevant information. Share your concern and how you think changes will impact employees. Take a stand - in a productive and balanced way. Don't start off the meeting saying you are ready to defect from the project team, but share that you are worried about the change and want to make sure you have the facts.

Management is a proactive act. Initiate. Don't wait. The absence of action = absence of management.

Meaning: The "wolf" of control in trendy sheep's clothing? #leadership

I am doing some digging around about meaning and here is a thought to chew on this new week and year. What if leaders should NOT and CANNOT make work meaningful for others? What if this idea reinforces control, extrinsics, and thereby serves to wreck not build our feelings that our work has meaning?

What if whether our work has meaning comes from deep within each individual and as a result of how we each define our experiences? What would this mean for leaders? What should they be doing differently to help every team member do his or her best work?

This is all a bit existential, I realize. Even so, I believe and see that many of our well-intended efforts to improve our workplaces are based on flawed premises and therefore doomed to fail.

This is an important topic to discuss because we know that meaning is a key measure of satisfaction. People want to know that their work matters. As leaders we should do whatever we can to help our team members thrive. We should not, however, tell them why they ought to find their work meaningful or attempt to define what makes work meaningful, generally speaking. There is no general rule here and doing this would throw water on our employees' flames of interest, engagement, initiative, and internal drive.

Leaders can help affect meaning, however, although not by focusing on meaning.

• Get to know each person and build strong and trusting bonds.
• Catalyze - let your employees pull you into their world and let them lead in it. Be a great follower.
• Take the initiative to offer catalytic (not control oriented) coaching.
• Let jobs morph with change and be open and eager to hear about ideas team members have for how their role ought to be reinvented.
• Know what the concept of a zen moment might look like. Promote "being here now" working habits.
• Allow each employee to get excited about and tuned into the aspects of their work that bring him or her the most satisfaction and fulfillment. We all define "progress" and "accomplishment" differently. As the leader, you get to decide how performance will be judged and rewarded, but you cannot tell people which task means more to them.
• Never let a day go by without letting your team members know how much they mean to you. Be thankful, gracious, and caring. Nurture. No one should doubt that they matter here and to you. No one. Be real about this, too, don't use some schlocky practiced reinforcement schema. Can you say that's transparent?

Example: I was recently in a situation where the client was telling me how important I was to the team. This is nice to hear, but did not improve my feelings that I was doing work that was meaningful. This particular team has the money to spend on consultants and has good intentions. But they have not yet embraced their need for individual and team reinvention for the leadership team. They give praise for my work, but my measure of meaning is that I can catalyze change. It happens a lot, but not yet in this situation. So while I love hearing that I am important to my client, I would give that up to have a more substantive impact on their practices and beliefs. It is a work in progress!

I once had a boss who liked to tell me I was important to the team. But then his actions said the opposite. If he wanted me to feel genuinely cared for, he would have taken the time to understand what drives me, excites me, and makes me want to become immersed. He didn't and didn't guess correctly. He applied what he thought were universal management approaches to his good intention of wanting me to stay with the company and flourish and expand the business. When it comes to meaning, there are no universals.

Start with yourself: You are the designer and implementor of your work experience. You define meaning from your perspective and for your work situation. What brings out the biggest and most engaged you? What can you do to pump up your interest? How will you relish and fully experience what's happening right here and now? Herein lies the true potential for leaders. Going first, discovering the meaning they derive from their daily experiences, talking about the parts of your job that matter most to you, being here now (even when creating a strategic plan, are you being in the room with a group of talents colleagues who are together reinventing the organization).