At Least 3 Reasons We’re Still Raving About Lousy Leaders

November 16, 2010 By 4 Comments

Businessman meditatingNote from Art: As I approach my 500th post here at Management Excellence in the next few weeks (that’s in the neighborhood of half-a-million words on management and leadership) my writing mood is shifting to one of, “let’s get this leadership thing right people.”  The blueprint for effective leadership is not carefully guarded like the secret formula to Coca Cola. It’s on display for all of us to see and to apply. Why then are there so many exceptions?  Read on for my wildly speculative and hopefully provocative thoughts.

Spend any amount of time reading or engaging with the many remarkable individuals that write, speak, teach and coach leaders, and you’re to be excused if you quickly conclude that we’re all in violent agreement with each other.

The principles behind what a reasonable person would agree represents effective leadership are practically universal truths that support an unarguable argument.

I’ll wager a month’s worth of coffee that if you asked everyone that you know to generate a list on what makes an effective leader, the output would be nearly identical. While preferences in styles might vary, (and there would certainly be differences across cultures,) core attributes and behaviors generally remain constant. The only differences will likely be due to memory lapses such as, “Oh, I forgot that one, but you’re right,” versus true differences of opinion.

So if this construct of an effective leader is so readily apparent, why is there a nearly endless supply of disgruntled workers capable of describing lousy leader horror stories to anyone that will listen? Importantly, why doesn’t this intuitive and common understanding of what an effective leader acts like manifest itself with more frequency in our workplaces?

3 Reasons Why We’re Still Raving About Lousy Leaders:

1. As humans and workers, perhaps we’re happy being miserable. While I would be saddened to adopt this viewpoint, it’s easy to see that “the boss” gives us something to work for and rail against and his/her actions and utterances serve as a source of bonding with peers.

Is it possible that we could work for someone with the presence of Washington or the authenticity of Lincoln or Gandhi and be unhappy? You bet! OK, that’s a bit sad, but there’s at least a kernel of truth in there somewhere.

Possible conclusion: we need to accept our own propensity to enjoy our misery. While it’s not as bad as being chased down by a sabre tooth tiger or consumed by the last remaining group of cannibals on the planet, the boss being a jerk gives us something to occupy our minds and mouths.

2. Humans are inherently preoccupied with their own survival and leading effectively requires one to sublimate that core drive. Hmmmm.  Some good psychobabble here, but it’s worth thinking about.  Good campfire fodder when the talk on “are we alone in the universe” runs out.

Possible conclusion: We’re screwed and all of this noble talk is wasting time that could be better spent lamenting our plight and beefing about the boss.

3. Perhaps the predominant management system in use in most of society is horribly flawed in terms of values, motivations, expectations and enabling structures.  OK, I’m warming to this more than the “evil” or “predominantly miserable” theories expressed earlier.

Maybe, just maybe, we’ve not licked this management thing yet. Deming did us a great service in crying B.S. on the Deadly Diseases that he viewed in most organizations. And while his 1980’s view to the purity of the models adopted by Japanese companies may be a bit naïve, listen to the Great Doctor describe these 5 and tell me if they’re fixed in your organization yet. At least a cup of coffee that the real answer is no.

Possible conclusion: Fix the flipping management system. It’s time to move beyond the practices of the industrial revolution and build success, effective leadership and enabling systems into our approach. Oh yeah, and that values part is the foundation to build upon!

The Bottom-Line for Now:

I’ll opt for the fact that it’s time to move management forward and build the new systems around the emerging realities. If innovation, creativity, speed, ability to execute and adaptability are all table-stakes attributes of the new winning organization, then it’s time to move management forward and create systems that breed leaders at all levels and for all types of situations. Note to top leaders: ignore the need to breed and build people that will help you navigate this strange, fast and foreign new world at your own peril. It starts with you at the top creating the right foundation. And hint: the foundation is built upon meaningful, actionable values.

Your thoughts?

Filed Under: Leadership, Management Innovation, Performance, Surviving Lousy Leaders, Values Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Leadership Caffeine: The “I’s” Have It

November 15, 2010 By 12 Comments

Image of a Plain Coffee Cup

The short, important and seemingly harmless word, “I,” is a potentially lethal weapon of morale and credibility destruction when used for evil or ego instead of for good.

It’s so powerful in fact, that I envision a future world where leaders wear the equivalent of a dosimeter badge to warn leader and followers when the use of “I” is in danger of creating a toxic event…most likely a spillover of b.s. into the workplace.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a fan of the word, “I,” and I find it incredibly useful when describing emotions and opinions, taking personal accountability and describing genuine personal contributions and successes. Those are all great uses of this seemingly benign but powerful personal descriptor.

My beef with “I” is not the term, but those that launch this personal and powerful word with both intensity and ferocity in an ego-driven attempt to assert themselves as superior to or smarter than everyone else in the room or on the planet. Some appear to do it by design, and for some leaders, they’ve been busy talking about themselves for so long that it’s become an involuntary reflex.

I hear the term most often coming from senior leaders describing themselves, their careers and their impact on situations. And you know, a deal of it may be true, although one of the interesting fall-outs from over-using the term is that after awhile, the user becomes less believable and more obnoxious. Like radiation, a certain amount of “I did,” and “I achieved,” and “I saved the world” is OK, but once it crosses that lethal level, the listeners get sick.

With apologies to Ayn Rand and her classic dystopian work, Anthem, where the protagonists struggle and ultimately risk it all to remember and to apply the term “I”, I’m counseling discretion here, not elimination.

8 Ways for the Leader to Effectively Use “I” in the Workplace:

1. Use “I” for accepting responsibility when things go horribly wrong.  “I am responsible for this outcome.”

2. Use “I” for making and reinforcing personal professional commitments. “I own this one.” “I will help you.” “I will fix this.”

3. Use “I” as part of your active listening process. “I” is particularly effective when restating and seeking confirmation of your understanding of someone else’s perspective. “Here’s what I understand about your position on this situation. Do you agree with my understanding?”

4. Use “I” when receiving feedback. Again, as part of your active listening, translate the giver’s points into your own terms. Your use of “I” indicates that you understand and that you are working on internalizing the feedback.

5. Use “I” when sharing your vision for your career or, for your business. However, a vision for a business needs to move from “I” to “We” or risk being irrelevant.

6. Use “I” when asking for help.

7. Use “I” carefully when celebrating a victory. “I was smart enough to put the right people in the right roles and let them do their jobs.”

8. Use “I” when “we” comes off sounding like a weak attempt at corporate socialism. (Note: “we” is often and easily abused as well, but that’s a topic for another day.)

The Bottom-Line for Now

The worst abusers of “I” aim the term like a cruise missile intent on causing damage. “I” in many cases is a direct indication that there’s a “they” and “they” are most definitely wrong, evil, misguided or some combination of the above. And like all words, the term is a tool. Just wield it carefully and watch to make certain that you don’t create a spillover of “I”-driven b.s. in the workplace.

Filed Under: Leadership, Leadership Caffeine, Marketing Yourself, Professional Growth, Surviving Lousy Leaders, Values Tagged With: , , , ,

The Leader’s Role in Promoting Innovation

November 13, 2010 By 2 Comments

Note from Art: the blog here at Building Better Leaders focuses on short, powerful tips, suggestions and exercises for leaders at all levels and in all functions and vocations to apply at work, in school and even at home. For Leadership Caffeine posts and other more detailed management content and essays, please visit my Management Excellence Blog.

If the role of a leader wasn’t challenging enough, let’s pile on one more abstract but critical challenge to the heavy lifting already required by leaders in this fast-changing world: promoting a culture of innovation.

Your Role in Fueling Innovation in Your Workplace:

Innovation is one of those big hairy topics with a lot of legs and we will leave the gross majority of it for other posts and for other writers focused on this important discipline. My encouragement here today is for you to recognize your role in fostering a healthy working environment that actively promotes experimentation and innovation.

  • We live and work in an innovation-focused and driven world. Developing the skills, systems and talent needed to fuel innovation is a must for leaders in today’s organization. Time pressures, global competitors and the march of technology, coupled with a baker’s dozen of major global stresses ranging from the economy and environment to natural disasters and sovereign debt crises, all demand that firms find ways to innovate to survive, sustain and succeed.
  • Innovation isn’t just for products...it’s applicable to business models, approaches to serving customers, approaches to structuring organizations and so on.
  • In spite of the myth surrounding the “lone genius,” innovation is the outcome of enlightened trial and error on the part of groups of individuals seeking to solve a vexing problem for a specific audience. These individuals need a workplace free from fear and filled with the spirit of adventure and learning. The task of forming this environment falls on your shoulders.

7 Must Have Conditions to Create a Healthy Innovation Environment:

  1. Leaders must be viewed as having high personal credibility.
  2. The workplace environment must be free from FEAR.
  3. Team members must share mutual respect and they must learn to trust each other.
  4. There must be a culture of accountability that is driven by pride, not fear.
  5. Individuals must be comfortable conducting tough discussions with those above, below and next to them.
  6. There must be a focus and commitment on striving to create high performance teams.
  7. The management systems and practices must actively support experimentation by reducing obstacles, simplifying decision-making and promoting enlightened trial and error.

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How healthy is your innovation environment? Use the checklist of “Must Haves” with your employees to assess the situation. And remember, as leader, you own fixing this one.

Filed Under: Leadership, Management Innovation Tagged With: , , ,

“Hey, What if One of Our Ships Gets Stranded?”

November 10, 2010 By 5 Comments

Note from Art: this intrepid reporter has spared no effort to observe at least three or four news reports on this topic. And note to executives and managers everywhere: get your act together on assessing, planning for and responding to customer catastrophes!

By now, most of us have seen or heard news footage of the Carnival Splendor stranded at sea after suffering an engine room fire and a subsequent loss of core systems including most power and importantly, the plumbing. Thankfully, no one was reported injured, but that’s about as good as the news gets in this situation.

The fact that something went wrong at sea on one of those floating Mall of Americas is not surprising to me. Thanks to my wife, I’m a veteran of a good number of these trips, and I’ve increasingly found myself looking beyond the surface trappings of the experience and wondering just what might go wrong. It’s a lot like making a mental note of where the fire exit is on your hotel floor, except the conclusion here is that if something bad happens, there’s no ground floor escape option.

What is surprising and disconcerting about the situation, is the apparent complete and utter lack of a risk response plan by the company that is in business to float people around on these palaces and feed them until they can barely waddle off the gangplank.

From the chronology indicated by the Carnival, it appears that fire took place in at 6:00 a.m. on Monday, with a subsequent loss of power and plumbing. The information indicates that by 8:15 p.m. that evening, toilet service was restored, as was cold running water. While I wasn’t a math or biology major, let’s look at the variables in this situation:

  • 6:00 a.m. fire and plumbing failure
  • 3,300 passengers well fed from the day before
  • No bathroom service for 14 hours

Here’s hoping that the risk response plan included something really creative for this particular human issue.

Beyond the biological challenges, the Cruise Line required airlifting of Spam (the food, not the e-mail kind) by the U.S. Navy to feed the passengers and crew. Right about now, your olfactory senses should be battling with your gut to contemplate the smells on board this sweltering sweatbox sans air conditioning and plumbing, as well as the sight of sweaty meat or a meat-like substance being served in the sun.

Last and not least, one gets the impression that there was no clear idea on how to move the becalmed vessel from its stranded location to something resembling civilization. For a great while the ship just sat there while it appears that company officials scrambled for someone, anyone that could help them rescue their passengers from this Gilligan’s Island debacle.

What Part of the Risk Management Plan Didn’t Consider This Situation?

Much like we are hearing finally from BP (or at least its former CEO), it appears the oil company was not prepared for the calamity it faced at the Deepwater Horizon.  We certainly are to be forgiven if we raise an eyebrow at Carnival’s response to their own Deepwater debacle and conclude that these people didn’t have a clue and a plan to deal with something as fundamental as a ship getting stranded.

The Bottom Line for Now:

There’s no doubt it’ a non-trivial task to deal with a floating object two times as large as Titanic with thousands of people aboard. However, given the nature of the firm’s business (entertainment, fantasy) it is reasonable to expect lightening fast effective response to a problem of this magnitude. To those of us viewing this via the media, the clueless and seemingly uncoordinated response seems all too familiar. We’ve seen this movie before and the ending sucks.

Are you prepared in your firm to respond effectively to catastrophes with your customers? You may be in the entertainment business, Carnival, but this is not the type of entertainment that will help your cause.

Filed Under: Crisis Leadership, Decision-Making, Leadership, Performance, Project Management Tagged With: , , ,

Leadership Caffeine: Managing Risk Without Stifling Experimentation

November 8, 2010 By 14 Comments

The art and science of management is much about coping with risk. There are few certain outcomes in business, and that’s particularly true when we factor in the reality that people are darned complex and don’t always act rationally.

More often than not, I see managers and leaders looking at their world through the eyes of “what can go wrong?” and basing their decisions solely on attempting to minimize those identified adverse outcomes. I also see a great number of aberrant behaviors impacting the decision-making processes and risk-taking actions of managers and organizations.

4 Bad Habits that Stifle Experimentation:

1. Fear of being wrong rules the day. In particular, early career leaders lacking the benefit of experience and often left to sink or swim on their own, act conservatively out of fear of making mistakes. While they may be anxious to experiment with people, teams and programs, they often lack a framework for understanding what is acceptable or unacceptable.

2. Managers and leaders struggle to interpret what “new” means and the knee-jerk reaction is to avoid “new” until it’s better understood. Social Media is a prime example of this, as many firms opt to create punitive and restrictive policies versus challenging their employees to find ways to leverage the tools. It wasn’t so long ago that the web was the “new” and many firms carried the same “wait and see” attitude and failed to leverage new and powerful capabilities to improve their businesses and gain an advantage.

3. Risk is managed to perceived political tolerance levels. Politically motivated managers and leaders focus on identifying decisions that fit within the tolerance zone of their superiors. Experimentation is reduced to subjective and politically motivated thought-processes.

4. Fear rules the day. In toxic environments, people strive and struggle to avoid making decisions out of fear of gaining the wrath of someone with a vested stake in his/her people not making decisions. Experimentation in this case is non-existent.

5 Ideas for Leaders to Help Experimentation Flourish:

1. Define, communicate and reinforce risk tolerance levels in all aspects of your business. As a senior leader, you owe this critical context to your team members. If you’re encouraging experimentation and innovation, then you need to create the processes and systems to reasonably evaluate opportunities AND risks and help the team understand choices that are acceptable.  It’s common for me to see firms where there is no context for risk, yet ample lip service for innovation. The lack of context slows or stifles any true experimentation in some cases and simply confuses the situation in others.

2. Cultivate a “what does this mean for us?” opportunity and risk assessment type of thinking with your team members. Teach and encourage big-picture, competitive, customer and other industry scanning habits and challenge people to end all discussions with their own translation of what the opportunity might mean positively or negatively for your firm. Of course, the next discussion is, “What do you suggest that we do?”

3. Build experimentation into professional development plans. A key part of everyone’s development is their ability to cope with increasingly ambiguous circumstances. Move beyond encouraging people to experiment to making it a part of what gets done and what gets measured, and you are actively supporting personal professional development. Of course, ultimately, experimentation needs to provide meaningful outcomes, with a blend of lessons learned through failures and gains from successes.

4. Remember to help your team members cut through the very-real political fog and fud. They don’t have the political capital that you do and it is your job to help them gain it, while knocking down obstacles and cutting through aberrant organizational behaviors.

5. Extend experimentation beyond programs and processes to management tasks, including team development, decision-making processes, developmental activities, job definitions and so forth. We cannot keep solving the increasingly complex problems of our world with yesterday’s management approaches.

The Bottom-Line for Now:

A healthy workplace is one where people are comfortable being uncomfortable, as long as the discomfort is not politically motivated or driven by fear of repercussions. Healthy discomfort comes from pushing the envelope on new approaches, while managing and monitoring risks and learning in the process.  I would much rather have a team of professionals pushing me as the leader to take chances for the right reasons than a team of professionals hiding in their cubicles hoping not to draw my gaze.

Filed Under: Decision-Making, Leadership, Leadership Caffeine, Leading Change, Management Innovation, Performance, Professional Growth Tagged With: , , ,
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