Management Craft

Final Blog Post - The Five Most Important Beliefs for #Management and #Leadership

This will be the last blog post I do for the foreseeable future. I will not bore you here with the “why," but if you are interested I have included a bit more about my reasons at the bottom of this post.

I have distilled the essence of great leadership and management into five beliefs. Take on and act based on these beliefs and you will lead well. I promise! I have been observing and learning from the best leaders for 30 years, have held leadership positions for nearly 25 years and have written about management and leadership for 15 years. I have seen great leaders transform organizations and I have seen terrible leaders suck the life out of workplaces. I know you want to be transformative!

These five beliefs reside deep inside the very best leaders I have had the pleasure to work with over the years.

Five Beliefs at the Core of Great Leadership

1. We are highly talented and highly flawed. This belief should lead to two actions – greatness and tolerance. 1) You are amazing – so go BE amazing. Your organization needs that and you need it (don't be a Greyhound who never runs). 2) Chill out and be tolerant. You drive half the people around you a little nutty and others will irk you on occasion. Never let personality or style get in the way of working well with others. I am not suggesting you put up with abuse – but most of what irks us is just a clash in style.

2. Management is a social act – it occurs in conversation. Being able to cultivate and catalyze productive and progressive conversations is your currency for getting things done. If you are lacking progress, get people talking.

3. There is big power in small actions. Generating breakthroughs starts with tiny actions that reverberate, build, and then go BAM!! Almost every great outcome started with a tiny act. Take small actions every day in the service of your goals. You will make things happen. For more on this, see my post about the Butterfly Effect here.

4. Calm and persistent is the way to go. No one wants to follow a leader who runs around like his/her hair is on fire. No one wants to follow someone who does not follow through. Be strong, but don’t generate negative drama. Be like a redwood tree – strong, flexible, and a positive force.

5. Leading people is a privilege. You affect people’s lives every day – positively or negatively. Your actions can help people do their best work or send them to drink due to stress and boredom. Leading people is an awesome opportunity – act like you have won the job lottery every day (you have). Go forth and conquer with confidence and grace.

These five beliefs will help you with all the opportunities and challenges you face as a leader. These beliefs are the most important for us to take on and model, in my humble opinion. It all starts here.

Thank you for being a part of the Management Craft community. It is because of you, my dear readers, that being the voice of Management Craft has been a great experience.

If you would like to refer back to the very best posts from the blog, or share them with others, please consider picking up a copy of my “best of” book called, Never Ending New Beginnings. You can find it here and I really appreciate your support. This book brings together my best business writing.

Cheers and happy new year! Go 2013 and beyond!

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Why I am retiring the blog:

If you have been reading this blog for some time, you know I have incurable medullary thyroid cancer. Since my diagnosis and initial surgery, I have changed many things about the way I live and how I spend time. Top on my priority list was to stop the road warrior life of a global consultant and to focus more on health and balance. I loved the work but hated the stressful travel and the loss of leisure time.

I have returned to an internal organization development role for a large organization here in Houston. I get to do interesting work and do not have to travel. It’s just what I need. I will still do the occasional conference speech but will not be consulting any longer. And because I have a “real job” now, I am much more choosy about how I spend my nights and weekends.

Blogging about management is just not making it to the top of my list. I have not been giving this blog the attention any blog deserves.

I feel fine and am living an active life, but I have this “stuff” inside of me that could make things real crummy in the future. Hopefully not too soon, but there is no way of knowing and so in the mean time I am going to live like my life depends on it – diet, exercise, relaxation and enjoying the present. I get scanned at MD Anderson every few months to monitor what's going on with the cancer. Talk about test anxiety! :-)

Let’s stay in touch through email and Facebook, OK? I don’t want to say goodbye to you all, I just don’t want to feel obligated to keep up this blog.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your interest in my work through the years.

Finishing out the year...let's do something catalytic.

The colliding kick of my double latte with the buzz of my triple ginger cookie caused a brain spike. 2012 is almost over. What do I think of this year so far? What's still possible?

If you are a regular reader, you know this has been a busy year for me. Continued care of thyroid cancer, work changes, the move from Ohio, passing pets, new pets, and moving into our permanent home.

But the question that is most interesting to me is "what's still possible?" 22 days remaining until our manufactured year end births a made up new beginning. A powerful placebo effect, for sure, so we might as well take a double dose.

What's the downside? I don't see one.

Among the parties, days off, mall visits, and traffic jams, think about one thing you could do that might propel one of your goals forward - fast and far. Just one new idea or action. Then do that.

If you are a manager, you might think about how to finish the year leaving your team shouting, 'bravo!" OK, they won't do that even if deserved....can't let your great work go to your head. But you know what I mean. I am not talking about letting them go home a few hours early one day - that's a no-brainer. Do that, but do something remarkable, too. Spend time with each person - real time. Get the team together to create a compelling re-launch for the year. Let them drive the discussions.Do something meaningful.

I am not sure what I will do with the remaining 22 days. Something. Something that makes something happen. Hmmm....

Here's an idea - focus and reduce. Yes, I like where this is going....

Strip away one or more distractions. Simplify life a bit. I think I am going to decide what I am NOT going to try to do in 2013 to make room to do fewer things better (including things like frittering the weekend away if I want to). What a gift to myself this would be - less pressure in the new year! Even little things count - like getting rid of that storage space I have been paying for in New Mexico (for 3 years!). Deciding whether to write a book, and if not, letting all the parties know.

Ah, the luxury of reducing pressure. Moving on!

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time undoing, stopping, or giving up. Buit we need to do this more often. Give it a try.

Happy new year!

 

Blooming in Spite of It All #management #success

I saw this shrub in a parking lot median and had to snap and share this pic. As you can see, the tree has no leaves, is completely dormant - EXCEPT for one wonderful and lush bloom.

Made me think about a common question I have gotten over the years from managers - can I really have an impact in this dysfunctional organization!??!

The answer is always - maybe, it depends, yes if......

I admire people who bloom in spite of the dysfunction. They define great management, in fact. It is easy to thrive in a model organization that "gets it" on the most important ideas. It is much harder to make something happen when every fiber of the organization reacts to change like a transplanted organ sometimes rejects its new host.

Managers who bloom in spite of it all create teams who do the same. Yes, you really can make a difference when it seems so hard to do. It starts with seeing dysfunction as the reason you are needed, not as a barrier to doing your "real" job (whatever that means, cutting through the dysfunction is your real job, it is how you earn your salary, how you make a difference).

As we head into Thanksgiving week, I want to thank all of you out there who show us how this is done. You are amazing. Take a day off and then get right back in the game!

Repetition Leads to Brain Pruning - Your Message Might Be a Lullaby

I attended TEDxHouston last weekend. It was a nice line up talks and a great collection of people. One of the talks that I found interesting was offered by Anthony Brandt - composer and music director. His message was focused on answering the question, "do we need the arts."His perspective, as you might expect, is that we do.

That's a given, here's what I found fascinating.

Anthony talked about what artistic endeavors do to our brains and how this relates to creativity. He was joined on stage by a string quartet who demonstrated his points through music.

Here's the first point: repetition "prunes" our brain. I love that word, pruning - not that I want to shrink and dehydrate my brain but that it offers a vivid image of what's happening. Anthony used the example of lullabies and why they put us to sleep - they are sweet and droning, the same phrases repeated with little change.

Instead of pruning our brains, art and artistic activities bend, break, or blend. The quartet played snippets of a Beethoven piece showing how he used all these techniques to build drama and interest.

As Anthony was talking, I could not help but think about how we communicate in the workplace. Lullaby or Beethoven? What I see is a lot of lullaby and very little Beethoven.

We tell leaders they need to communicate mission/values/goals again and again. And they do, reminding us through mouse pads and video clips. But unless we are going deeper, to the point of bending, breaking, or blending, we are just putting people asleep.

To change the culture, we need to persevere/repeat, but we should not do this in ways that prunes our brains. This idea offers leaders and opportunity to combat the lackluster vibe and engage our teams in building better futures.

What this means is that we need to let  - encourage actually - employees bend, break, and blend the ideas and this means that we need to be more flexible. Allow people to create and make the organization's goals and vision their own. Not to the point that the organization goes off course - but in ways that keep it moving forward.

Leadership lullabies can be found in everyday workplace practices and messages. Most staff meetings are lullabies.

Wake up your team! Wake yourself up! If you are not creating, you are pruning.

@BreneBrown on Courage

I attended a luncheon yesterday that featured speaker, author, and researcher Brene Brown. Her newest book, called Daring Greatly helps us see the intersection between vulnerability and courage and how they are connected. Check it our here.

Her TED talk is one of the most viewed. It is called The Power of Vulnerability, check that out here.

I was struck by how Brene said that she had engineered her life to be small. I can relate and know that I have done this at times, too. And then there are moments when we play it big and we align all aspects of our lives to showcase our power and our talent.

Have you noticed how different these experiences feel? It makes me wonder why we so often go small.

• Big feels like a ripe, juicy raspberry with fresh whip cream. Small is like a watery sugar juice box.
• Big feels like a Fall breeze in the mountains. Small feels like a coat closet in an old house.
• Big feels like a stand ovation. Small feels like waiting for a return phone call.

Why do we engineer our lives to be small?

It makes sense sometimes, I suppose. We need to want it. Over the last year, I have retreated a lot to focus on my health and that was and is the right thing for me. And yet, I know that I am ready for something big to happen soon. I will need to show up and act accordingly.

How 'bout you, are you ready to step into a bigger arena? If so, Brene's book might offer some inspiration for you.

Be Unstoppable

I was talking to two leaders. It was a good conversation overall, but there was a moment when they both perked up and smiled. One moment when the conversation changed. It happened when I said the words, "how to be unstoppable without compromise."

It is interesting how certain words evoke certain feelings.

The idea of being unstoppable is quite lovely. It speaks to perseverance. It speaks to follow-through. It speaks to courage and strength and triumph.

Being unstoppable means being the best we can be.

What matters to you enough that you might be willing to be unstoppable?

To be unstoppable we need to:

• Involve others.
• Keep asking. What else? What's next? How else? Who do we need? What can I do?
• Explore Plan B... Plan C... Plan D...
• Focus on progress not perfection.
• Relish the journey.
• Use hacks - whatever works for you - checklists, reminders, calendars, meeting structures, daily huddles, daily planning, etc...
• Sniff out barriers like a dog covets fresh bacon. Then get rid of them.
• And whatever else we need to do.

Like the idea of being unstoppable? Does it bring a smile to your face? Imagine what it feels like as you are doing it.....

 

 

Are you a statistic or an outlier?

I was reading a post from a friend and want to share this line from his post:

"I am not just a statistic, provided I do what it takes to be an outlier."

I love the way he put this. It is so true, too. Are you being - I mean being, like how you are living in this moment - a statistic or an outlier? What are the outliers doing that is different? This is a provocative question and one we can all learn from.

Sometimes I feel like I am being - acting in this moment - like an outlier. Too often, though, I am like many.....floating along, living more in "wishful thinking" mode than "gettin' her done" mode.

As someone with big goals and vivid dreams - I would serve my intentions well to align my actions a bit better and ramp up my clarity and focus.

As someone living with cancer - I would serve my goals well to not let time dull my resolve and commitment. I must admit I feel like the last couple of months have not been my best in this regard.

I love the way my friend put this personal challenge out there - actually it is a simple acknowledgement of what is. Today's outcomes are the result of yesterday's actions. Today's actions will generate the future. Let's make sure our future is filled with amazing surprises, positive breakthroughs, and outlier outstanding performance.

I am doing free webinar for #astd, 5 earth shattering #management insights. Sign up today.

And before you think that living in the big state of Texas has made my head swell, the five earth shattering ideas are not mine - they are big insights that I learned from my smart pals (all of whom are also management experts and fond of riding on the edge - I will reveal their names during the webinar).

Here is the official title of the webinar:

“Five Earth-Shattering Topics for Management Development That I Learned From My Friends"

Sign up to attend HERE.

Date: September 12th.

Time: 1:00pm eastern.

Cost: FREE!

Who should attend: All managers, leaders, management developers, OD people and HR people. Anyone who reads this blog, for sure. You!! Go on, now, sign up.

During this webinar, I will share five management insights that ought to be at the center of our development plans or programs, but that likely aren't. And here is what I mean by earth shattering:

• Counter-intuitive - we are likely doing, thinking, or reinforcing the opposite and going in the wring direction! Yikes! Course correction needed.
• Often not associated with management - sometimes we think management is something it is not and fail to recognize what it really OUGHT TO BE.
• Catalytic - the idea has the potential to be a serious game changer. Creating new realities like this - POW! BAP! Zowy!

This will not be a boring bullet point webinar - no way. ASTD asked me to do a webinar and I pitched this idea because I knew it would be fun and insanely useful. They eagerly played along and I think that is pretty cool.

I hope to see you online next Wednesday and I hope to rock your managerial world. Tilt on your axis and spinning in new directions toward the bright light of the double sun galaxy. (Not to be confused with a double rainbow).

And the antidote to envy is.......

To envy is human. But envy robs us of so many possibilities including:

• Achievement.
• Peace.
• Humility.
• Connection.
• Happiness.
• Our best thinking, our best work, our best life.

So how do we get past our feelings of envy? To explore this, we need to think about what's going on when we experience envy. Envy occurs when we compare ourselves to others and when we feel unsatisfied, outdone, or a lack of confidence. Comparison and regret.

What's the antidote, then? You can't make a chocolate cake without chocolate. Remove either the comparison or the regret and you will prevent envy. And here is a fool proof way to quickly transition out of feelings of envy.

Become a fan. Instead of comparing yourself to someone else, show admiration. Give congratulations. Take the initiative to show support. Don't do this for show, become a fan for real. Shift your thinking from regret to being a fan and you will zap envy in its tracks. It can happen very quickly but only if you are sincere.

Envy is a killer. Envy will get in the way of your goals and dreams. Make it go away. Poof!

#Management Team Pact - A Real Example

I was cleaning out some stuff in my office because we are moving from our apartment in Houston into a Loft and I am downsizing the amount of "stuff in boxes" I will take to the new digs. I have moved lots of boxes many times and it is silly and wasteful.

I found a 20 year old letter that a senior management team crafted and signed. This group of leaders was not modeling great teaming and this was their way to acknowledge the issue and make a commitment to be better together. Here is the letter (I have removed all names):

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Commitments to Each Other

As members of the ____ top management team we recognize that we are responsible for the Division's success. That means that we are responsible for each other's success and that there is no business of the Division that is not our business. As teammates, with those responsibilities, we commit to each other the following:

• We will acknowledge each other's successes and contributions
• If we ever disagree with another team member's actions or decisions we will discuss our concerns with that team member (and not others)
• If we cannot resolve issues or concerns we will raise them to the Division President for resolution
• We will learn each other's challenges, goals, and objectives
• We will represent each other's interests in our respective organizations
• We will strive, in all things, to make the Corporation successful and to achieve Division objectives, ahead of individual objectives
• We will represent team decisions as that; we will debate them within the team and support them outside the team
• We will seek each other's input

We also acknowledge that our roles as Division leaders are 24-hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week roles. So, these commitments are always to be lived up to, in all settings and with all audiences.

The letter was them signed by all the senior team members.

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If you have some leadership team dysfunction, you might need to do something like this. I have found that the problem will not improve until team members hold themselves to a higher standard and they acknowledge what's going on.

This letter is not perfect - I would change a few things today if I were crafting it again - but it gives you the idea. Your letter should address the challenges you have and the opportunities you seek to explore.

If you struggle with management teaming issues, you might also check out a post I did on the topic a few years back called Dysfunction Reverberates. BTW - hint-hint, wink-wink, this post was one of 69 that made it into my new "best of" book Never-Ending New Beginnings. Have you picked up your copy yet? Thanks so much, if you have.