Follow
Blog Featured
Archive for January, 2012
Book Review: Steve Jobs Biography (by Walter Isaacson)
When Steve Jobs retired I posted an entry recognizing him for his rebound/recovery from obvious failures. I have always been impressed with that – even more so than the products he created.
I just finished his biography, and posted a review on LinkedIn. For this blog entry I thought I would post a few thoughts for those of you thinking about reading it or those wanting to compare notes.
- Is it a book about being an effective leader? Yes and no – there are great leadership lessons in it, but I still ascribe to the Blanchard definition of leadership – “Leadership is an influence process. It is about working with people to accomplish their goals and the goals of the organization.” This is worth a longer conversation – but do not make it a book study for your exec team or high potential leadership group.
- Is it for an Apple product lover or a non-Apple product owner? Yes and yes. Based on sales numbers, I am not sure there are too many of the latter, but the product chapters are fascinating. Remember my perspective is that of a new iPhone owner (4 months) and I bought it for two reasons: 1) Look cool(er) to my kids 2) Explore all the Apple hype many of my friends have been preaching for years. (fyi – it is still just a phone, but a cool phone. )
- The best part of this book for me is the completeness of the story. The good and the bad are told, and in the end Steve Jobs was just a guy doing lots of great things and making lots of mistakes along the way. Some he fixed, and many he did not, and that is what all our stories would look like if they were written down. It is well written and when I finished the book I felt like I do not need to read any more about him – I get him.
Below is a picture of the pages that I really liked reading – page number on the left and a few words describing it on the right. I do this in many of my books so I can go back and find passages I liked. It is a good read!
Are you a BUT or AND leader?
A coach and mentor taught me the lesson of substituting the word AND for BUT in my statements.
BUT . . .
- sends the message that the important part of the message is coming.
- begins the process of rebuilding a thought or action plan.
- says start listening.
- is an accountability word.
AND . . .
- recognizes progress and paints a picture of a preferred future.
- begins the process of building upon a thought or action plan.
- says keep listening.
- is an accountability and problem solving word.
Assignment: Listen to how you and those around you use BUT / AND today. What do you notice?
I would welcome a few posts of BUT or AND sentences that you hear.
Universal truths: Leadership, Parenting . . . and conflict
I recently reviewed a book on these pages by David C. Baker, and in my interview with him he talked about parenting being a place where leaders can learn. He related it to his own experience where the things unsaid often consumed more energy than the things that were said. Reminding us, as leaders, parents, wives, husbands, and friends – we need to find ways to share the truths as we see them.
I was reminded how being a parent or leader is so similar, and the things we learn to be effective at both roles are the same. It hit home for me when I want to a parenting seminar from celebratecalm.com and Kirk Martin talk about dealing with teen children. First he described the boiling over of emotions that often happens in tense situations, and for me and several friends it was a familiar reaction. Then he talked about a more effective way to acknowledge what was happening, step back (find another place), and then address it. He even talked about using the simple action of sitting to help put ourselves in a physical position to effectively deal with conflict. It was obvious how these skills, used consistently, would alter the conversation and help create a more positive outcome on many levels.
It is important to recognize the roles we play in life (parent, leader, teammate, spouse, friend), our priorities for those roles, and the actions that need to accompany our commitments in these roles. Too often we think we have to shift gears to play those roles, when in reality many of the skills that make us a good leader will make us a good parent, a good neighbor, or a good friend.
And if we are an overbearing/directive leader – well maybe that is why teenagers were created.
Leadership: The Power (And Trap) Of Non-Verbals
We have been studying nonverbal communications in class and it is interesting how you can tell what people are thinking by their actions – especially when they are inconsistent with their words. Is it important for leaders to know this?
I received this note from a leader who also loves to learn. It reminded me of a couple of things:
- 60-70% of our communication is non-verbal
- Great communicators have mastered non-verbal cues
- Stress behaviors for leaders (according the the Birkman Method) often shows up as us sending the wrong nonverbal signals
My big concern about teaching leaders how to read non-verbal signs is that we fail to teach them the skills needed to use it to have a great conversation about how a person really feels.
It is a slippery slope if we start taking a nonverbal cue as their statement. Imagine the power of a leader saying “I heard you say you supported the decision, but I sense that support is not 100%. What % would most accurately gauge your support? . . . . “
Understanding non-verbals gives leaders/individuals a tool to know when to hit pause in a conversation and allow someone space to share what they are thinking/feeling.
My admission (I am supposed to be skilled at this) - Today I read a nonverbal (watery eyes) cue and my interpretation was someone is done reviewing their Birkman results after a 90 minute discussion. They had absorbed all they could in one sitting. When I shared that perception it turns out it was allergies, and that launched us into 15 minutes of great conversation. I was wrong, and I am glad I found out before I unilaterally shut the conversation down.
Read them – yes. But remember that it is a cue to keep talking / listening.
An Interview and Book Giveaway with Leadership Expert & Author David Baker
A little about David (although a full bio can be found on his website) – He was born in Michigan, but lived in San Miguel Acatan, Guatemala with a tribe of Mayan indians until he was 18, after which he moved to the United States. He went on to earn advanced degrees in ancient languages and theology. He has consulted with more than 650 firms, and has written three books, including Managing (Right) for
the First Time and Financial Management of a Marketing Firm. His work has been discussed in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Fast Company, Inc., Forbes, CBS Business Network, MarketingProfs, and BusinessWeek. He lives in Nashville, TN with his wife Julie. David plays racquetball, rides fast motorcycles, loves photography, and enjoys aviation (as a helicopter and airplane pilot).
It is a worthwhile read and a great addition to any leader’s toolbox, which is why I interviewed David. My only advice is that this book is best read in a group of two or three so the peer/mentor support can be used to help apply the things that you will learn about management and leadership. As I was preparing for the interview, Inc Magazine recognized David/his book as a 2011 Best Book for Entrepreneurs. Now I cannot say I found him first.
Book Giveaway: In addition to the interview, I am giving away five (5) copies of his book. (Information below on how to qualify)
Here is my interview with David . . .
You have worked for a long time helping people become better leaders and managers. What moved you to write this book?
I was speaking at a conference in Atlanta to 700 new managers, and I began to ask them what they were struggling with, thinking I might adjust my presentation to address those particular needs. Then at the end of the presentation I said, “You know, this seems like such a big issue with so many common themes, that I ought to write a book about it.” I then gave them my email address and asked them to submit their struggles. I received about 150 emails.
Since your book was published in 2010, what are some ways you have seen it used by individuals and organizations?
It’s been a little surprising, because the primary audience was intended to be the person who was managing others for the first time. But from what I can tell, it’s had more impact on existing managers who would like some guidance on how to do it well.
What is the biggest mistake you see new managers make? What is your message to them?
The biggest mistake by far is to misunderstand the fact that a promotion means that you “do” less and “manage” more. Someone who is not so much promoted but “sentenced” to management hides in the “doing” and ignores the managing. That’s the fatal mistake. What makes it particularly sad is that very few people complain about bad management—what they complain about is no management.
What is an emerging trend you see around the role of managers in the last 5 years? 
One would be learning how to manage remote teams, either permanently living/working somewhere else or just working from home from time to time. Another would be the flexibility that employees value in their jobs, to attend a soccer game or a doctor’s appointment. Finally, I think the culture in an organization is far more important than it used to be, especially as benefits are stripped away, pay increases are curtailed, and the workloads have increased.
You mention parenting being a part of your experience as a manager. What is a personal example of how a parenting experience helped develop your skills as a manager?
I think primarily it’s been about just talking over things. It’s easy to live in the same house but never really talk about meaningful things. As a friend of mine says, you only feel tension about the things you DON’T say, not the things you DO say. So addressing things in an honest, straightforward, truly listening sort of way as a parent has helped me a lot as a manager.
A discussion of competency building is often the focus of new manager training, but not a big part of what you share in this book. Where do you see it fitting in?
There are tools out there that help a manager first be self-aware, and then if they are successful, they will transfer to that developing a management style that matches the style the managed employee prefers. It’s a shame, really, but there’s a criminal lack of attention to management and leadership skills in undergraduate work. Yet you have graduates who want to “change the world,” not realizing that their best chance at doing that is through their management style, one by one.
From a technical standpoint, I don’t think managers need to be super competent, and I certainly don’t think they need to be the most competent person in the department. That’s a huge fallacy. Some of the most well-run (and largest) companies in the world are led by good leaders, not competent technicians.
If you were going to make sure a new leader read two chapters of your book, which ones would they be?
Chapter 12 on a performance review you might enjoy, and chapter 14 on being a leader they want to follow.
You end your book with a compilation of advice from current managers. What is the best advice you have received in your career and who provided it?
I invited a friend, Michael Gerber, the author of “The E-Myth Revisited,” and I’ll never forget his emphasis on working on the business instead of in it. To me, managing is about working on the business.
Thanks David for a great interview.
If you would like to win a copy of David’s book, Managing Right For The First Time, here’s what you need to do to qualify:
- RT this post on Twitter or Share on LinkedIn
- Comment on this post
- Make sure I have a valid email address (I ask for it when you post to my blog)
All posts made by the end of this week(week of Jan. 16) qualify – and from that I will randomly select the 5 winners.
Universal truths: Relationships and Leadership
I can remember his face and his words like it was yesterday. He stood up in a leadership class during a section where we were exploring leadership and how to manage the talents of a team and said “I am a very different person at home. I have a work personality and a home personality.” If it were only that simple. . . .
In the book How Full Is Your Bucket(p. 55), a study is shared that explored the connection between how we talked to each other and marital success. They spent 15 minutes with each couple, logged in positive and negative interactions, and then used that to predict marital success. They were 94% accurate, and the magic ratio was 5 positive to 1 negative. When they looked at how that applied at work, the magic ratio was 3 to 1.
Relationships at work and at home need the same thing – interactions and a healthy balance between positive and negative comments.
A lot has been written about one event that has been tied to helping kids grow up healthy (less drug use, depression, etc.). The conclusion, families that eat together more often and use the time to talk/debate has a postive impact on kids. (link to story) Gallup had a similar message with their Q12 when they proved the significance of people answering the question “In the last 7 days I have received recognition or praise”.
So presence and the right conversations make a difference whether you are parenting or leading.
Becoming an impactful leader is a lot like becoming a great parent or a great friend. Be there, speak the truth (good and the bad), and keep doing it. At least that is what the research says.
It takes a lot of energy to keep up work me and home me.
They asked: Hi Po selection, Hiring the right people, Succession Planning
For my blog readers - this is a second post inspired by questions received from HR leaders that I talked with yesterday. It was great to see a packed lunch meeting with 100 busy HR leaders taking time to talk and go through my Talent Scorecard. Great questions, and I was happy to get my development plan template in the hands of so many HR leaders who can hopefully use it to impact their people.
I will start back with more normal posts next week – 150 to 300 words. Also, I apologize for any spelling /grammar issues. I work hard to scrub a normal post, but at 1000 words the editing to perfection is not a battle I will fight. Remember that trUe conversations are not always done in perfect english. :)
How do you effectively identify high potential employees based on data rather than who the manager likes?
I am guessing this comes from a negative experience trying to convince a group of leaders that they were wrong. First of all, HR has to argue enough with business leaders about things like compensation that do not make this conversation an argument, but make it a collaboration. Here are a few tips to make it happen.
- Start the process with this question: What do we look for in a successful leader here? (Hi Pots by definition are people destined for a significant leadership role – 2 moves up in a larger organization). Take the list and prioritize it to a top 5 critieria.
- Insert into the conversation the definition of learning agility from the book The Leadership Machine (by Lominger). Use that description to help the group make sure the pieces of that definition are captured in your criteria. (I am assuming you are using a 9 box of some sort somewhere in your process)
- Make sure there is a section called Accomplishments as part of the Talent Profile you are creating for each candidate.
- Have the discussion and air disagreements and capture(write it down) any concerns or questions people have about this person.
- Action Plans / Next Steps should include having leaders questioning the inclusion find an opportunity to work more closely with this person and for the leader supporting them to find ways to showcase this person’s skills in projects, presentations, etc.
I have a post talking about how developing people is like cooking in a crockpot. Here is the link. Do not try and microwave this process and feel like ALL the answers have to be clear at the end of the process.
Other than personal referrals, what have you found to be the most effective way(s) of determining those who will end up being high quality employees?
This is a big one, and there are endless vendors out there ready to sell you their silver bullet solution to this problem. My favorite solution is outlined in TopGrading, but know that it is not an easy implementation. It will be a live long skill(that will be marketable and useful) once you master it. I have worked/networked with lots of startup/early growth companies and here are a few tips based on what they say made a difference and a few hints from me.
- Divide interviewing into Skills/Experience to do the job and cultural fit for your organization. Spend some time defining your culture (values, beliefs, mission) and be purposeful about evaluating people based on that.
- Find ways to work with people first – via contracts, projects, including a ride along with someone as part of an interview, or maybe even giving them a real problem to solve during an interview. Too many people think interviewing starts with the posting on monster or has to be confined to questions in a room.
- Do a 30 day, 90 day, and 6 month review of hires to determine “Good Choice? Bad Choice? What did we learn? How do we apply the learning?” Over time this will make your process better.
- In hiring decisions center the discussion around answering three questions: Are the willing? Are they able? Are the manageable?
- Give it time. If you only have 30 minutes to interview a hire you will likely get a 30 minute hire. If that is good enough for the leader then move on to a manager/leader who cares. (sorry that was a bit blunt, but there is no other way to say it.)
If we are not able to have a formal succession planning system can you please provide some other ways and/or tools that we can informally work through this with leaders we support within our organization? Thank you!
I left the Thank you in your question because I wondered if it would still be there after I gave my answer. My answer is No, not yet. I say this because Succession Planning is such a big topic and really the culmination of doing the basics of Talent Management well that if it is too hard, the reasons are you are not doing the basics well and the relationships within the leadership team are probably not trusting enough to make it work anyway. The number one barrier to this happening well at the leadership level is ego.
I do have a couple of bits of advice that hit me as I talked with the 100+ HR leaders yesterday. Stop calling it succession planning and use the terms Most Valuable People and Most Critical Roles to identify your efforts. I did that in my Talent Scorecard because I wanted to communicate it in more ‘non HR’ language. Leaders might balk at the ‘valuable’ or ‘critical’ labels because they will exclude people. This process is meant to focus scarce resources (time, money) on the most critical areas(roles) and most valuable resources(best people) in the business. I guess the question is whether the leader proposes spending a little bit on everyone? Another thought is “Do we want our talent management efforts to resemble socialism or capitalism? On second thought, better hold that one back unless you want a real ideological argument. I commit to trU Tips #18 to focus on that, so sign-up for trU Tips and I commit to addressing this for you and others that are asking the same questions.
In the meantime, the basics I reference are already out there on my resource page. Check it out.
If you want clarification on any of this feel free to post a question on this blog and I will gladly do my best to answer it.
They asked: Performance management in small companies and Crucial Conversations
For my blog readers – the following is a post inspired by questions received from HR leaders that I will be talking with tomorrow as I share with them my talent scorecard presentation. My pledge is that I will answer questions they have, and these were submitted as part of a survey I asked them to take. It is in the vein of what I normally talk about, but exceeds my personal 200-300 word limit that I try and stick to because I want our conversation to fit into your busy schedule.
Question: How do you create an employee development program specific to the needs of each employee?
I found out an interesting fact several months ago – 99.9% of organizations in the United States have less than 500 employees. These organizations employ about half of the people in our economy. This feeds into this question because the traditional answer to the question from training and development is to: 1) Develop job descriptions 2) Define competencies/measures for each role 3) Perform a gap analysis 4) Create a plan based on gaps 5) Revisit yearly with a performance evaluation. Most organizations do not have the time, HR expertise, and patience to do all of these things. Two things that are critical in developing people: 1) A trusting relationship between leader and follower 2) A conversation around what they need (both company and individual) that is captured in a plan 2.5) A follower ready to own the plan and a leader committed to supporting it. Here is a link to the development plan and other templates I provide that will drive the right conversations and capture key information in a written form that can be managed. fyi – it is that simple, but not necessarily easy. I can blog on that at another time if you would like – just ask. ANY size organization can put development plans in place for their people, and it is the key to helping people develop.
It states in Crucial Conversations that “one study of 500 stunningly productive organizations revealed that peak performance had absolutely nothing to do with forms, procedures, and policies that drive performance management.” From my experience, I agree. Please discuss how the process you are presenting makes a true difference in peak performance, including the aspects of the process which are most crucial to success.
The reference to Crucial Conversations is a series of two books published by and sold by a consulting group called Vital Smarts. My belief system on performance was actually born out of a conversation I had with one of their partners and a co-author from another book they published, Influencer. I spent a couple of days with David Maxfield listening to him teach and working with him on a rollout plan. Let me say the guy is brilliant, experienced, and their focus on helping organization/leaders become great at having difficult conversations is world class. But in one conversation I asked “Do you assume that organizations you are trying to help already have a culture in place where regular one on one discussions are already happening, because it seems that is the key place where it would be easiest to practice what you are teaching.” His answer was “Yes’. What I knew based on my conversations with leaders in this growing organization was the one on one habit was not firmly in place. As a result, the implementation of this key leadership skill was spotty at best. I agree that conflict management is a critical leadership skill to enable great performance, but I base performance/talent management on the relationship first, and then the other pieces/habits build off that. I also agree that it is not policy, procedures first – - but I also know from experience that in order to Build Rhythm there has to be some structure in place.
I love talking to groups and want to make the conversation longer than an hour long keynote. Feel free to comment or ask follow-up questions. I welcome them.
3 Things Leaders Should Ask For More Of In 2012
I love the holidays because of the conversations that I have been a part of and the themes that come out as people reflect on the year. Based on some of the things I am hearing, here are a few themes that have stood out for me as people I met reflected on work/life. These are ideas for leaders to help make the lives of their people/teams better in 2012.
1. More Networking: I had 3 conversations with leaders/followers in very different employment situations, and yet they had one thing in common. None of them did any purposeful networking. When I mentioned LinkedIn to them, they all gave various answers of I am not looking for a job or I am happy where I am. Let me yell two things from the rooftop right now:
- Networking is not about finding a job – it is about getting smarter and helping others get smarter.
- If you are not networking outside of your zip code regularly you are on the road to be marginalized (or you are already there).
What this might look like for a leader:
- Encourage everyone on your team to develop a LinkedIn profile and join two professional groups.
-
Add a question to the beginning of every big decision that is What does your network say?. Whether it is buying software, looking for a great business book to read, or just finding a 10 minute energizer for your next sales meeting – mine for different ideas or different approaches.
2. More of doing something besides your job: Efficiency for organizations has become a way of life, and it is time to recognize formally that everyone needs some of what I call Google-Time. It is a reference to Google’s famous practice of spending a certain amount of time working on new ideas that have nothing to do with your job. The message we send when we give people space is that “I care about you.” I define Google-Time as work that re-energizes your body, your work, and our organization.
What this might look like for a leader:
- In your one on ones, tell everyone on your team that you want to give them 8 hours a month to do whatever they want, and there are only 2 guidelines:
- 4 hours must be spent working with someone on business renewal – fixing something, reinventing something, rethinking/changing something.
- 4 hours must be spent on personal renewal, maybe something you stopped doing because of work - time with family, lunch with friends, exercise, sleep.
- Ask for an update every month on where there Google-time was spent and what difference it made for them?
- Don’t critique, just encourage.
3. More feedback on how I am doing: I do lots of team development, and the topic of trust is always a big one. One measure I give to leaders is How often do people disagree with your ideas? and How often do they change your mind?. I added the second question because I personally became tired of hearing the answer “Everyone argues with me” from leaders that I knew were feared. The second question created discomfort for them, and led to richer conversations.
What this might look like for a leader:
- In your monthly one on ones, add a 2 minute section around What are you hearing that I should know? or Of all the decisions we are facing (or I have made) – which one do you disagree with or have strong feelings about?
- Listen (or be patient when this flops in Month 1 and 2, some people might be reluctant to share)
- Make sure you emphasize with them that, as a leader, you often find things moving so fast and decisions being made quickly, so you appreciate it when people slow you down to re-think things every now and then.
- Thank people for ideas / input – then do something with it.
Final direction – just pick one of these ideas to do. Remember most of your team is already trying to eat less, excercise more, pay off their credit cards, or just trying to deal with the general winter lack of sunlight. Done for 3-6 months any one of these will make a difference.