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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56308685527634411782010-09-10T14:18:55.014-04:00Great LeadershipOpinions and information on leadership and leadership development
by Dan McCarthyDan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.comBlogger530125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-42302426812212558792010-09-09T19:35:00.000-04:002010-09-09T19:35:16.735-04:00Reorganizations: Don’t Just Shake up the Bird Cage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TIlsfTWb0OI/AAAAAAAABWk/N9XxBI_wuZ4/s1600/grey-palace-xl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TIlsfTWb0OI/AAAAAAAABWk/N9XxBI_wuZ4/s200/grey-palace-xl.jpg" width="151" /></a></div>I’ve heard some employees call frequent, questionable reorganizations “shaking up the bird cage”. You get a lot of noisy chaos and ruffled feathers flying, and at the end of the say, the same bunch would just be sitting on different perches, albeit a little dizzy from all of the cage rattling. Nothing else seems to change. <br /><br />That kind of a cynical reaction is often the result of an organizational design process that started and ended with an organization chart. It’s also a result of a lack of communication and change leadership. People don’t understand the rationale, so they fill in the blanks with cynicism and skepticism. Unfortunately, it’s often justified. <br /><br />I’ve been involved in enough of these - as a manager, outside advisor, and recipient - to have learned a few lessons. <br /><br />Here are some tips that I hope will help the next time you’re thinking of re-drawing that org chart:<br /><br /><strong>Why Reorganize?</strong><br /><br />Most managers don’t decide to reorganize on a whim - it just seems that way, usually because of a poor design or lack of communication. <br /><br />The typical reasons a manager decides it’s time to reorganize are:<br /><br />1. A key person has left, leaving a void and an opportunity to question the existing structure. Like it or not, management org charts are usually built around individuals, not “positions”. When a key individual departs, the rationale for the position often leaves with them.<br /><br />2. There are problems (inefficiency, talent mis-matches, overlapping or underlapping roles, or other operational issues). Work is not getting done, and/or it’s not being done well.<br /><br />3. It’s required in order to seize a new opportunity (new market, product, service, etc…). Your current structure just wasn’t designed to support your new business objectives. <br /><br />While these are all good reasons, it’s important to consider reorganizing as just one possible alternative. There are often lots of less disruptive ways to achieve the same objectives. <br /><br /><strong>Who should be involved?</strong><br /><br />This one’s always been tricky. If it’s just the manager, there’s a missed opportunity for critical input and buy-in. If it’s the entire management team or more, it can be too slow and natural self-serving interests get in the way of doing what’s best for the business. <br /><br />The best choice is usually something in-between, the manager and a small team of trusted advisers. They are usually the individuals who have enough confidence in their future with the new organization to be able to put their own interests aside. <br /><br /><strong>The “process”</strong><br /><br />I’m sure there are ALL kinds of ways to go about this. I’ve pulled all-nighters in rooms with dozens of flipcharts and post-it notes and take-out food containers, and it’s never come close to what I’ve learned in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Competing-Design-Power-Organizational-Architecture/dp/0195099176/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1284074926&sr=1-1">the books</a> and courses.<br /><br />Believe me, there is no perfect science to how to do it, but here’s a few things that seem to work:<br /><br /><strong>1. Start with a strategy. </strong><br />It’s critical to know where the organization or team is going – what’s important, what’s not, what are the goals, etc…. Yes, this sounds pretty basic, but it’s an often overlooked step. Don’t have a strategy? Then maybe it’s time to create one before you start messing with the org chart. Structure should always follow strategy.<br /><br /><strong>2. Develop your criteria.</strong><br />List the problems you are trying to solve and/or opportunities. Then weight (H,M,L) each one. This becomes the criteria that you’ll use to evaluate design alternatives and to measure your success.<br /><br /><strong>3. Develop and evaluate design alternatives.</strong><br />I’ve seen a lot of teams fall in love with one idea and then spend all of their time trying to justify it or make it perfect. Instead, try to come up with multiple alternatives (3-4), and then rank those against your criteria. The reality is none of the options will ever be perfect. Take the best one, and then come up with action plans to mitigate the risks.<br /><br />This is also a good time to discuss other alternatives that DON’T involve reorganizing. Sometimes, the best change is no change.<br /><br /><strong>4. Test the final design with scenarios.</strong><br />Spend time testing the design by discussing how various business processes would work within the new structure. These “what if” discussions help fine tune the structure and clarify roles.<br /><br /><strong>Change Leadership</strong><br /><br />Even the most perfect design could fail to meet your objectives - or take a lot longer – if there’s no change plan. At the risk of again oversimplifying a very complex topic, there are two critical things to pay attention to: communication and involvement.<br /><br />Communication needs to be much more than one-way announcements about the change. Stakeholders, including employees, will be more likely to get on board if you not only share the “what” and “why”, but tell them about the alternatives you <em>didn’t</em> consider and <u>why</u> you didn’t. Let them know you realize there is no one perfect choice – acknowledge the potential disadvantages of the choice you made – and share your plans to address those areas. This kind of candor and authenticity is way better than trying to “sell” your change as the perfect solution. When it comes to organization structure, <u>there is no perfect design</u>. Every design has its inherent flaws – it’s a matter of picking the lesser of evils. If you treat people like intelligent adults, you’ll get the same amount of respect and support in return. <br /><br />Don’t expect people to understand it or buy into it right away – chance are you didn’t either (remember <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2009/01/leading-change-remember-marathon-model.html">“the marathon effect”</a>).<br /><br />More importantly, ask for their help in making it work. This is where involvement comes into play. People will support what they help create. While they may not have had an opportunity to create the new organizational structure, they can play a huge part of implementing the structure. It’s yet another opportunity to get valuable input in order to further fine-tune the structure. <br /><br />How about you? We’ve all been through re-orgs before – what have you seen that has worked well, and what have you seen that has not worked so well?<br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-4230242681221255879?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-7963209330043712042010-09-08T07:33:00.000-04:002010-09-08T07:33:18.615-04:00Uncrapify Your Life - How to Criticize Others<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TIdyGxvkbNI/AAAAAAAABWc/cQ9PCGgFT0Q/s1600/havens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TIdyGxvkbNI/AAAAAAAABWc/cQ9PCGgFT0Q/s320/havens.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>A short guest post by speaker, author, and former comedian <strong>Jeff Havens</strong>:<br /><br />Hello. I’m Jeff Havens, here to help you become the worst you can be. Today we’re going to focus on how to more effectively criticize others. Now I’m sure some of you are thinking, “That doesn’t seem very nice.” And it isn’t. That’s not the point. Pay attention, people, the purpose of this article is to help you uncrapify <em>your</em> life, not anybody else’s. And seriously, what could make you feel better than making those around you feel bad? This is something you’ve been doing since you were a child. But until now your efforts have been those of an amateur. I, however, am a professional. I’ve been criticizing people for a living now for the past seven years, and I’ve developed a foolproof system to help you feel better at the expense of those around you.<br /><br />The first step is to frame your criticism with a well-chosen phrase that makes it sound like you’re actually trying to help the person you’re about to insult; that way, you will get the most pleasure out of their shock and pain. “No offense…,” for example, is an excellent choice for two reasons. First, nobody in the history of the world has ever said “No offense…” without following it with something moderately or entirely offensive. But more importantly, if the person you’re talking to gets upset, it’s really their fault, isn’t it? You weren’t trying to offend them – you just said so! – and they should really try to lighten up a bit. It’s airtight, and there are a lot of other phrases that are just as effective. “Don’t take this the wrong way…,” “I don’t mean to sound rude…,” “This isn’t going to sound the way I mean it…” – you get the idea. <br /><br />The second step is the actual criticism itself – the meat of the insult, the heart of the wounding. All you have to do here is be original and descriptive. You want to hit people with something they aren’t expecting. “I don’t like you,” for example, is a very common insult, and as such is relatively ineffective at getting a reaction out of people. But if you were to walk up to a family member or coworker and say, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I hope you contract an intestinal parasite” – you’ll get so much more joy out of the expression on their face. The best insults take time to formulate, but the reward is well worth the time and trouble.<br /><br />Now I suppose this approach could work both ways. That is, you could theoretically create original, descriptive, and meaningful compliments and praises for those around you. All of us need to hear those things from time to time, and just about anything is better than a half-hearted “Good job!” that sounds more like a way to fill silence than it does an earnest attempt at sincerity. I mean, just imagine the difference that a single word can make. “I love you” is well and good, but you’ve also said it a million times. But when was the last time you told your children or your spouse “I adore you,” or “I cherish you”? <br /><br />Hmmm….<br /><br />No. Never mind. Forget I said anything. <br /><br /><strong>About Jeff Havens</strong><br /><br />Jeff Havens is a former comedian turned college and corporate speaker. His newest book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Get-Fired-Employees-Unemployment/dp/0984302204?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><em>How to Get Fired!</em></a><em><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0984302204" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></em><em>: The New Employee’s Guide to Perpetual Unemployment</em>, is available in all popular retail outlets and online at www.amazon.com and <a href="http://www.jeffhavens.com/">http://www.jeffhavens.com/</a>.<br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-796320933004371204?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-76967255485527721252010-09-05T10:43:00.000-04:002010-09-05T10:43:11.652-04:00The September Leadership Development Carnival Back to Football Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TIOrF8fFS8I/AAAAAAAABWM/Iw8rWAFxoME/s1600/Minnesota%2BVikings%2Bv%2BNew%2BOrleans%2BSaints%2B5s0urYMK9LIl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TIOrF8fFS8I/AAAAAAAABWM/Iw8rWAFxoME/s200/Minnesota%2BVikings%2Bv%2BNew%2BOrleans%2BSaints%2B5s0urYMK9LIl.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Welcome to the September 5th, 2010 Leadership Development Carnival <strong>Back to Football</strong> edition! Yes, Fall is in the air, and the NFL kicks off it's season this Thursday with a rematch of last year's NFC championship game - the Saints and the Vikings. <br /><br />To get in the spirit of the season, this month's Carnival is set up as if you're watching the big game, from tailgating to post game highlights. So grab your favorite snack and beverage and get ready for some championship caliber leadership development advice and opinions from some of the best bloggers in the league.<br /><br />BTW, The United Way and the NFL are teaming up for the first <strong>Back to Football Friday</strong>, a celebration of the start of the NFL season and an effort to promote youth health and wellness on <strong>Friday, September 10</strong>. They are encouraging fans of all ages to show their NFL team pride at work or with their friends by wearing their favorite team’s gear or colors and planning parties, and to join the United Way and NFL's campaign to end childhood obesity. Anyone who registers is eligible to win a trip for two to Super Bowl XLV. One winning workplace will receive a visit from an NFL player at an NFL-hosted office party. Find out how to get involved here: <a href="http://www.liveunited.org/backtofootball">www.LiveUnited.org/backtofootball</a>.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size: large;">The tailgate party:</span></strong><br /><br />We'll start this month's edition with a little warm-up in the parking lot. <br /><br /><strong>Erin Schreyer and Mike Henry</strong> team up to give us some spicy grub with <a href="http://leadchangegroup.com/what-really-makes-a-leader/">What Really Makes You a Leader?</a> posted at <a href="http://leadchangegroup.com/blog/">Lead Change Group</a>. Seems like everyone has an opinion on this one, with over 70 comments. <br /><br /><strong>David Burkus</strong> gives us a bucket of my favorite food, with <a href="http://theleaderlab.org/2010/08/my-buffalo-wild-wings-rant/">My Buffalo Wild Wings Rant</a> posted at <a href="http://theleaderlab.org/">LeaderLab</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Jason Seiden</strong> brought the paper plates and napkins, with <a href="http://jasonseiden.com/life-is-messy/">Life Is Messy</a> posted at <a href="http://failspectacularly.com/">Fail Spectacularly!</a>. <br /><br />Who brought the beer? None other than <strong>Sharlyn Lauby</strong>, with <a href="http://www.hrbartender.com/2010/training/the-business-case-for-managing-ourselves/">The Business Case for Managing Ourselves</a> posted at <a href="http://www.hrbartender.com/">HR Bartender</a>, <br /><br />and <strong>Mark Stelzner</strong>, with <a href="http://inflexionadvisors.com/blog/2010/09/02/why-morons-win/">Why Morons Win</a> posted at <a href="http://inflexionadvisors.com/blog">Inflexion Point</a>.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Kick-off:</span></strong><br /><br />The game starts with a bang with lots of high scoring action! Here's <strong>Jane Perdue</strong>, our HR Goddess, with <a href="http://getyourleadershipbigon.wordpress.com/2010/08/23/ex/">Excellence ? 1; Perfectionism ? 0</a> posted at <a href="http://getyourleadershipbigon.wordpress.com/">Get Your Leadership BIG On!</a>. <br /><br />First to score is <strong>Art Petty</strong> with <a href="http://artpetty.com/2010/08/23/leadership-caffeine-give-your-people-room-to-run/">Leadership Caffeine-Give Your People Room to Run</a> posted at <a href="http://artpetty.com/">Management Excellence</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Kevin W. Grossman</strong> gets a sack with <a href="http://glowan.com/wordpress/2010/09/influential-leadership-can-trump-gender-bias/">Influential Leadership Can Trump Gender Bias</a> posted at <a href="http://glowan.com/wordpress/">Leaders. Better. Brighter.™ The Glowan Consulting Group L3 Blog</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Bret Simmons</strong> is penalized for unnecessary roughness with <a href="http://www.bretlsimmons.com/2010-08/remarkably-unprofessional-behavior/">Remarkably Unprofessional Behavior | Bret L. Simmons - Positive Organizational Behavior</a> posted at <a href="http://www.bretlsimmons.com/">Bret L. Simmons - Positive Organizational Behavior</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Wally Bock</strong> gives some veteran advice to the rookies in the huddle, with <a href="http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2010/08/24/simple-leadership-basics.aspx">Simple Leadership Basics</a> posted at <a href="http://blog.threestarleadership.com/">Three Star Leadership Blog</a>. <br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size: large;">The 2nd quarter:</span></strong><br /><br /><strong>Jennifer V. Miller</strong> starts the 2nd quarter with a trick play - <a href="http://people-equation.com/the-z-factor/">The Z Factor</a> posted at <a href="http://people-equation.com/">The People Equation</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Jim Stroup</strong> counters with something from his playbook, with his review of "<a href="http://managingleadership.com/blog/2010/08/30/book-review-good-boss-bad-boss/">Good Boss, Bad Boss</a>", posted at <a href="http://managingleadership.com/blog/">Managing Leadership</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Mary Jo Asmus</strong> has some great coaching advice of her own, with <a href="http://www.aspire-cs.com/on-being-a-coach">On Being a Coach</a>, posted at <a href="http://www.aspire-cs.com/">Aspire-CS</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Bill Matthies</strong> does a little end-zone celebration with <a href="http://businesswisdom101.blogspot.com/2010/09/let-good-times-roll-but-plan-for-bad.html">Let The Good Times Roll (But Plan For The Bad)</a> posted at <a href="http://businesswisdom101.blogspot.com/">Business Wisdom: Words to Manage By</a>. <br /><br />To close the half, <strong>Alice Snell</strong> puts it through the uprights for three points with <a href="http://www.taleo.com/talent-management-blog/2010/08/31/hardwiring_performance">Hardwiring Performance</a> posted at <a href="http://www.taleo.com/talent-management-blog">Taleo Blog - Talent Management Solutions</a>. <br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size: large;">Halftime entertainment:</span></strong><br /><br />We've got a great musical line-up for your halftime entertainment! <strong>Miki Saxon</strong> starts it off with a couple hits from her latest album, Ducks in a Row, with <a href="http://mappingcompanysuccess.com/2010/08/ducks-in-a-row-triple-a-culture-is-one-of-the-worst/">Triple A Culture is One of the Worst</a>, and <a href="http://mappingcompanysuccess.com/2010/08/ducks-in-a-row-dont-be-pizzled-build-a-rat-culture/">Don't be Pizzled, Build a RAT Culture</a>, at <a href="http://mappingcompanysuccess.com/">MAPping Company Success</a>. What the heck is "pizzled"? You'll have to read the post to find out.<br /><br /><strong>Anne Perschel</strong> brings out her amazing leaping leadership frogs, with <a href="http://germaneconsulting.com/leadership-leap-frog/">Leadership Leap Frog - How to Keep on Learning</a> posted at <a href="http://germaneconsulting.com/germane-insights/">Germane Insights</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Glain Roberts-McCabe</strong> brings back a classic band with <a href="http://theexecutiveroundtable.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/leadership-lessons-from-rush-beyond-the-lighted-stage-a-rockin%e2%80%99-focus-on-goals/">Leadership Lessons from Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage a rockin’ focus on goals | RoundtableTalk</a> posted at <a href="http://theexecutiveroundtable.wordpress.com/">RoundtableTalk</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Adi Gaskell</strong> gets the crowd fired up with <a href="http://www.managers.org.uk/practical-support/management-community/blogs/7-ways-schmooze-your-way-top">7 ways to schmooze your way to the top</a> posted at <a href="http://www.managers.org.uk/blog/">The Management Blog</a>. <br /><br /><strong>David Zinger</strong> closes out the entertainment with <a href="http://www.davidzinger.com/employee-engagement-self-efficacy-and-albert-bandura-8548/">Employee Engagement, Self-Efficacy and Albert Bandura</a> posted at <a href="http://www.davidzinger.com/">David Zinger Employee Engagement</a>. <br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size: large;">The Third Quarter:</span></strong><br /><br /><strong>Bengamin McCall</strong> starts off the second half with an onside kick, with <a href="http://ht.ly/2wEq8">Your Title is Boss, not Jerk</a>, posted at <a href="http://ht.ly/2wEq8">REThink HR</a>.<br /><br /><strong>Nissim Ziv</strong> recovers a fumble with <a href="http://www.job-interview-site.com/how-would-you-describe-your-leadership-style.html">How would you Describe Your Leadership Style?</a> posted at <a href="http://www.job-interview-site.com/">Job Interview & Career Guide</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Kris Routch </strong>breaks a long run with <a href="http://blogs.ddiworld.com/tmi/2010/07/leadership-lessons-from-a-16yearold.html">Leadership Lessons from a 16-Year-Old</a>, posted at DDI’s Talent Management Intelligence blog.<br /><br /><strong>Nick McCormick</strong> is up in the booth looking for answers, with <a href="http://begoodventures.com/joeandwanda/?p=625">Ask Yourself, "What Can I Do?"</a> posted at <a href="http://begoodventures.com/joeandwanda">Joe and Wanda on Management</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Andy Klein</strong> runs a draw play for big yardage with <a href="http://www.fortunegroup.com.au/Blog/September-2010/Organisation-change-leadership-employee-creativity">Organisational change needs leadership of employee creativity</a> posted at <a href="http://www.fortunegroup.com.au/Blog">Fortune Group Blog</a>. <br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size: large;">The Fourth Quarter:</span></strong><br /><br />This game is a nail-biter, so stay with us.<br /><br /><strong>Michael Lee Stallard</strong> returns a punt for a big gain with <a href="http://www.michaelleestallard.com/burnout-results-from-living-in-conflict-with-values">Burnout Results From Living in Conflict with Values </a>posted at <a href="http://www.michaelleestallard.com/">Michael Lee Stallard</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Michael Cardus</strong> reminds us that there's no "I" in "teamwork" with <a href="http://create-learning.com/blog/management/leaders-develop-structure-for-teams">Leaders develop structure for teams</a> posted at <a href="http://create-learning.com/blog">Create-Learning Team Building & Leadership Blog</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Mike King</strong> runs an all out blitz with <a href="http://learnthis.ca/2010/07/examining-your-own-belief-structure/">Examining Your Own Belief Structure</a> posted at <a href="http://learnthis.ca/">Learn This</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Sylvia Lafair</strong> runs a creative play with <a href="http://blog.ceoptions.com/?p=1899">Leadership, Creativity and Getting Unstuck</a> posted at <a href="http://blog.ceoptions.com/">Sylvia Lafair - "Elegant Leadership"</a>. <br /><br />And right at the final gun, <strong>Chris Stowell</strong> runs it in for a score with <a href="http://www.cmoe.com/blog/leadership-is-needed-now-dont-wait-to-develop-your-people.htm">Leadership Is Needed Now: Don't Wait To Develop Your People</a> posted at <a href="http://www.cmoe.com/blog">Leadership In Action</a>. <br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size: large;">The post game show:</span></strong><br /><br /><strong>Mike Miranda</strong> checks in on the NBA highlights, and gives us <a href="http://ytheworldgoesround.blogspot.com/2010/09/lebronmehgen-y-has-done-better.html">Lebron…meh…Gen Y has done Better!</a> posted at <a href="http://ytheworldgoesround.blogspot.com/">Y the World Goes 'Round</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Lois Melbourne</strong> reviews the highlights with <a href="http://blog.aquire.com/2010/09/02/be-an-accountable-leader-and-get-to-lunch-first/">Be an Accountable Leader and Get to Lunch First!</a><br /><br /><strong>Kathy C</strong> does the locker room interviews with <a href="http://thethrivingsmallbusiness.com/articles/preparing-to-interview-a-job-candidate/">Preparing to Interview a Job Candidate</a> posted at <a href="http://thethrivingsmallbusiness.com/articles">The Thriving Small Business</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Dallas Burrows</strong> breaks down the Xs and Os with <a href="http://managementdegrees.org/2010/what-exactly-is-management-theory/">What Exactly Is Management Theory?</a> posted at <a href="http://managementdegrees.org/">Biz-gasm</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Elyse Nielsen</strong> presents the game ball with <a href="http://www.anticlue.net/archives/001081.htm">Searching for Healthcare IT Leadership - Uncovering Your IT Practices</a> posted at <a href="http://www.anticlue.net/">Anticlue</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Bob Lieberman</strong> interviews the coaches and gives us <a href="http://www.cultivatingcreativity.net/2010/04/teaching-leadership-skills.html">Teaching Leadership Skills</a> posted at <a href="http://www.cultivatingcreativity.net/">Cultivating Creativity – Developing Leaders for the Creative Economy</a>. <br /><br />That's it for this month's edition! The October 3rd edition will be hosted by Mary Jo Asmus at <a href="http://www.aspire-cs.com/">Aspire-CS</a>.<br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-7696725548552772125?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-78151041875488184892010-09-01T20:17:00.000-04:002010-09-01T20:17:17.300-04:00How to Read Your Way into the Executive Suite<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TH7s-P0sRCI/AAAAAAAABV0/ju435wAUpYQ/s1600/reading.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TH7s-P0sRCI/AAAAAAAABV0/ju435wAUpYQ/s200/reading.gif" width="191" /></a></div>Here's an eye-opening and provacative post by <a href="http://www.smarttopgrading.com/index.cfm">Brad Smart</a>, reprinted with his permission from his <a href="http://blog.smarttopgrading.com/blog/index.php">Topgrading blog</a>:<br /><br />A Player executives have very common reading habits, and what they read varies dramatically from what C Players and lower level managers read. For anyone aspiring to be a successful CEO, or a C-level executive, emulating the reading habits of the best and the brightest might give you an edge. <br /><br />Sorting through my hard copy files of 6,500+ senior executives I focused on C-level executives (CEOs and those reporting to CEOs) who are North American, and only those whom I rated "A Player." There are about 500 in the sample. <br /><br />First I'll report the results, and then explain <em>why</em> those executives believe their reading habits give them a competitive advantage in their career. <br /><br /><strong>The Results of the Study: What Periodicals A Player Executives Read:</strong><br /><br /><strong>1. Wall Street Journal</strong> - Almost all read the front page and in the Opinion section, the Review and Outlook column (this column, in my sample, is the single most powerful source of political thought for senior executives).<br /><br />For all the remaining periodicals, most executives skim them and only read a few articles.<br /><br /><strong>2. Forbes </strong><br /><strong>3. Fortune </strong><br /><strong>4. BusinessWeek </strong><br /><strong>5. The Economist </strong><br /><strong>6. trade publications</strong> (all skim their industry "rags") <br /><strong>7. New York Times </strong><br /><strong>8. local newspapers</strong> - almost all skim one or two <br /><br />Over the past 3½ decades the above list has hardly changed, although many executives read online versions these days, supplementing reading these publications with headlines and 1-paragraph "articles" they receive as soon as they turn on their PC. Younger executives (in the 30's or younger) read much less than their older counterparts, and small company (fewer than 500 employees) read much less than Global 1000 executives. <br /><br /><strong>What Books Do They Read? </strong><br /><br />The bigger company executives read a couple of books per month, typically one fiction (for relaxation) and one good, solid non-fiction book - topics such as how international politics impacts business, best sellers such as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Companies-Leap-Others/dp/0066620996?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Good to Great </a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0066620996" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />(Collins), and books on strategy, and finance (understanding the subtle implications of finance/accounting/M & A). Recently Kindle and iPad have captured the imagination of only a small percentage of our sample, but they are enthusiasts! AudioTech Book Summaries is a great way to get written and audio summaries of books. <br /><br /><strong>TV and Radio Sources of Information </strong><br /><br />Most top executives watch national and international news, particularly business news, programs, daily. And when in a car they sometimes listen to news stations. But they say that what they <em>read</em> gives them the most in-depth understanding. <br /><br /><strong>How to "Skim" Articles </strong><br /><br />You might wonder how busy executives have time to, as listed above, "skim" so many periodicals. Any business writer knows the answer: as a writer you use the first sentence in each paragraph to say what you're going to say, and then you say it. So, to skim and get most of the "meat," <em>read the first sentence of each paragraph. </em><br /><br /><strong>How to Read Your Way into the Executive Suite </strong><br /><br />Forgive my cute title; I'm dramatizing a truth that most mid-managers simply don't get: if you want to <em>BE</em> an executive, <em>THINK</em> like an executive, and in order to do that, <em>READ</em> what the best, brightest, A Player executives read. <br /><br />We don't assess or coach many mid-managers, but we conduct a lot of 2-day Topgrading workshops, and during meals and breaks we frequently find out what mid-managers read. Those who will not break into the C suite read mostly sports and entertainment magazines, and almost no books. <br /><br />And most mid-mangers bore the heck out of A Player top executives. I can see it at lunches in which the top team dines with lower-level managers. Top executives in global companies know that international and domestic policies of 30 nations will affect their business, and if they are tuned into the powerful underlying forces in the world, and their competitors aren't, they win. And they want their peers and rising stars to be global in their views as well. <br /><br />So in hundreds of lunches we've seen a typical scenario play out, in which a top executive is testing, to see which mid-managers have that global perspective: <br /><br /><strong>CEO</strong>: "So, are oil prices going to go up or down?" <br /><br /><strong>Mid-manager</strong>: "There are 5 factors pushing up and as many down," (whether the answer is up or down is irrelevant; what the CEO wants to see is a globally sophisticated response from a manager who reads, learns, analyzes, connects the dots, and forms an opinion). <br /><br />Other CEO-instigated discussions in the past couple of years: <br /><br />"How will an Israeli attack on Iran nuclear facilities affect our business?"<br /><br />"Will the Chinese float their currency, and if they do, what will the impact be on our company?"<br /><br />"Is now a good time to buy back our stock?"<br /><br />"What acquisitions, if any, make sense for us?"<br /><br />"How will likely tax rates in the next couple of years affect our business?"<br /><br />Too often such questions are met with an awkward silence, with mid-managers embarrassed and their expressions are daffy. "I dunno," they say, raising their shoulders. And if the CEO asks, "What do you folks read?" the awkward silence tells all. <br /><br /><strong>What Reading Habits Drive CEOs Nuts</strong><br /><br />Many CEOs have complained, "Young managers these days live in their own little narcissistic world, and find current events boring and depressing. Too many mid-managers these days think like technical professionals, specialists who will never understand the big picture. Stated bluntly, they are <em>not</em> well-read and they are <em>not</em> well-informed." <br /><br /><strong>Why Reading Your Way into the Executive Suite Works </strong><br /><br />About a zillion years ago I entered grad school, and mentor, Dr. Bob Perloff, who became President of the American Psychological Association, said, "Brad, to get out of here (Purdue) with a doctorate, all you have to do is make the professors think of you as their peer." Good advice - translated it meant sure, get the grades and do the papers, but more than that find out what the professors read, what conferences they attend, what issues they exuded passion over, how they think. <br /><br />That's what A Player CEOs want - direct reports and high potential lower level managers they consider peers, who share their concerns for not just how tactical issues should be addressed, but how world and national issues and policies will affect the business. <br /><br /><strong>SUMMARY</strong>: To be an A Player top executive, learn what the CEO and other top executives think about, what global/national/business issues they are passionate about, and to get inside their brain - <em>read what they read, so they consider you well-read, and well-informed.</em><br /><br /><strong>Note from Dan:</strong> So what do you think of Brad's advice? Is it more about "looking good" than "being good", or is it about developing a genuine CEO mindset? How about the reading list - any surprises? <br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-7815104187548818489?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-28420172043729887142010-08-30T21:16:00.000-04:002010-08-30T21:16:08.558-04:00Selection vs. Development Assessments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/THxXaLABbeI/AAAAAAAABVs/_4vR2J2VV0E/s1600/test.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/THxXaLABbeI/AAAAAAAABVs/_4vR2J2VV0E/s200/test.jpg" width="166" /></a></div>This post is written for the everyday manager, HR manager, coach, or consultant that doesn’t have the time or interest to learn about validation, reliability, confirmatory factor analysis, correlation coefficients, and adverse impact. However, you’re using assessments, and you know just enough to be dangerous. Oh yeah, that pretty much describes me. Maybe you too.<br /><br />I’ve written about <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2008/06/guide-to-leadership-assessments.html">assessments for leadership development</a> before. While there are lots of them to choose from, the common ones used for development tend to be 360 degree assessments (multi rater) and personality preferences (DISC, Kolbe, Hogan, FIRO-B).<br /><br />Most of my work involves development assessments. That is, the manager takes an assessment, the results go back to the manager, and a coach helps to interpret the results and come up with a development plan. <br /><br />Here is where I see managers and organizations get into potential trouble: they want to take that favorite development assessment and use it to make <strong>selection decisions</strong>. They may get a copy of the assessment from a naive or unethical HR manager or coach, or, they might just “ask” the individual directly for a copy.<br /><br />In most cases, it’s done with good intentions. Managers want to make a smart hiring or promotion decision, so they are trying to learn as much as they can about the candidate. Also, if they do end up hiring the person, they can get a jump-start on their development. <br /><br />I’m guessing some of you are already doing this, even if you’ve been warned not to. <br /><br />So what’s the harm?<br /><br />Here’s the problem:<br /><br />I’ll start with the legal/HR stuff you’ve probably already heard: if it’s not tested for “validity” (it measures what it’s supposed to measure) and “reliability” (it’s consistent over time), you could get your #%* taken to court and sued. <br /><br />A disgruntled candidate could claim that you used the results of that assessment to make your hiring decision and it was bogus. Therefore, selection assessments require a stack of research and are held to a much higher standard than your average <a href="http://www.businessballs.com/tests.htm">free online personality assessment</a> or horoscope. And let’s face it – if someone takes one of these things for development – and it’s bogus – who cares? However, if someone doesn’t get hired or promoted because or it, it’s a big deal.<br /><br />It’s been my experience that “we could get sued” doesn’t always stop a lot of maverick managers from taking risks. Well, good for you. So let me give you a more compelling reason: if you use an assessment that has not been “<strong>benchmarked</strong>” to the position you’re hiring for, you could end up making a stupid hiring decision.<br /><br />That is, you really don’t know what the candidate’s assessment profile is telling you. You may end up favoring somebody because of personal preferences (or bias) - that have nothing to do with performing well in the job. <br /><br />The concept of benchmarking is really pretty simple. It works better when you have a lot of incumbents already in the position you are hiring for. You just need to administer the assessment to the top 10 performers and the bottom 10 performers (without telling them that they are the 10 worst of course). Then, look for differences between the best and worst performers, and establish an ideal profile for the position. That way, you’ll identify the stuff that really matters for success in that specific job.<br /><br />Make sure you have benchmark for each job, even if you’re using the same assessment. A success profile for an engineer looks very different than one for a sales role.<br /><br />If a candidate falls above or below the ideal profile, it does not mean they couldn’t do the job – it just means it could be harder for them. If anything, it gives you an idea of what you need to poke at during the interview process.<br /><br />Now, you could use the results of a selection assessment for development if you end up hiring the candidate. However, usually selection reports don’t include that kind of detailed information –you’ll need to purchase a development report for an additional cost.<br /><br />BTW, for those of you that that are the extreme other end of the continuum - that is, that organizations should NEVER use personality assessments for selection - <a href="https://www.cpp.com/pdfs/Personality_Assess_Personnel_Selection.pdf">you're wrong</a>. Most organizations use them, and as long as they are benchmarked (validated), it's perfectly OK. Except for the MBTI - which measures psychological <em>type...,</em> not personality. Like I said, just enough to be dangerous. (-:<br /><br />Finally, a manager should never use the results of any one assessment – even one that’s properly benchmarked – to make a hiring decision. That’s just plain lazy and ineffective. Assessments should also be combined with good old-fashioned selection interviewing and reference checking.<br /><br />I hope this helps de-mystify the difference between development and selection assessments. Yes, assessments are can be good tools for development and selection - just don’t get the two of them mixed up, or you won’t be doing yourself or your company any favors. <br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-2842017204372988714?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-36011867467681157712010-08-25T20:38:00.000-04:002010-08-25T20:38:25.644-04:00Why Do Businesses and Leaders Fail?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/THW0gmct5_I/AAAAAAAABVg/Yfp5aRozmnQ/s1600/mighty.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/THW0gmct5_I/AAAAAAAABVg/Yfp5aRozmnQ/s200/mighty.bmp" width="129" /></a></div>I hate the term “soft skills”. To me, it’s a weak and misleading label that attempts to categorize everything that <em>really</em> matters about leadership and business success into a bucket of fluff. Any leadership development professional should know better.<br /><br />Given that, I know it’s a common term used by every day people. It’s because they don’t know what else to call “it” or how to define that stuff that seems to separate the haves and have nots. <br /><br />When I was first learning about competency modeling, I’ll never forget what a consultant said to me that underscored <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2010/05/its-soft-stuff-thats-really-hard-stuff.html">the importance of the “soft stuff”.</a><br /><br />We were in the process of <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2008/09/how-to-develop-leadership-competency.html">building a leadership competency model</a> and curriculum for a former company. At the time, we were having a debate about having a balance between the “hard” stuff – things like marketing, finance, operations, sales, industry experience, etc… and the “soft” stuff (listening, peer relationships, composure, vision, etc…). Our executives were leaning towards the second - the traditional MBA topic list of functional management skills. <br /><br />The consultant asked our executive team: “Name one business that ever failed because of a lack of functional or technical expertise”. <br /><br />You could hear crickets chirping for a few minutes – we couldn’t. That was almost 20 years ago, so that consultant was way ahead of the conventional wisdom at that time. Think about the recent challenges of some of our great car companies and banks. It sure wasn't due to a lack of engineering or financial expertise.<br /><br />Fast forward to today: Jim Collins, in his book “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Mighty-Fall-Companies-Never/dp/0977326411?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">How the Mighty Fall</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0977326411" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />” spent four years researching how once great companies failed. He developed a five-stage model that describes the stages that each of these companies went though. They are:<br /><br /><strong>1. Hubris born of success.</strong> Great companies can become insulated by success. People become arrogant, regarding success as an entitlement, and they lose sight of what made them successful in the first place.<br /><br /><strong>2. Undisciplined pursuit of more.</strong> Companies stray from what led them to greatness in the first place and make undisciplined moves into areas where they can’t succeed.<br /><br /><strong>3. Denial of risk and peril.</strong> Leaders discount negative data, amplify positive data, and post a positive spin on ambiguous data. They start to blame external factors rather than <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2010/05/how-to-be-accountable-and-hold-others.html">accept responsibility</a>.<br /><br /><strong>4. Grasping for salvation.</strong> They start looking for that “silver bullet” solution.<br /><br /><strong>5. Capitulation to irrelevance or death.</strong> Turn out the lights, the fat lady is singing. <br /><br />Collin’s recent work certainly supports the declaration made 20 years ago by my consultant friend – that organizations don’t fail because of a lack of technical, functional, or business skills – it’s always because of some kind of collective destructive mindset and behaviors. <br /><br />The same is true for individual leaders. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.ccl.org/leadership/index.aspx">The Center for Creative Leadership</a> and <a href="http://www.lominger.com/">Lominger</a> has identified the following (through extensive research) as being executive “<a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2008/02/leadership-derailers-vs-weaknesses.html">derailers</a>” (I’ve combined elements of their research):<br /><br />- Unable to adapt to differences<br />- Overly ambitious<br />- Arrogance<br />- Blocked personal learner<br />- Defensiveness<br />- Insensitive to others<br />- Non-strategic<br />- Failure to build a team<br />- Lack of composure<br />- Lack of ethics and values<br /><br />Finally, in his groundbreaking research (200 large global companies) on “<span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Intelligence-10th-Anniversary-Matter/dp/055380491X?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">emotional intelligence</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=055380491X" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span>” Daniel Goleman found the following components to be the biggest differentiators between leadership success and failure:<br /><br />- Self-awareness<br />- Self-regulation (controlling your emotions)<br />- Motivation<br />- Empathy<br />- Social skills<br /><br />Wow, all of this soft, squishy, touchy feely stuff….. hubris, denial, insensitivity, empathy – sounds more like an episode from the Dr. Phil show than what’s taught in most business schools these days.<br /><br />To be fair, I’m not sure this kind of stuff can even be taught in a college course or training program. According to Goleman, emotional intelligence increases with age – it’s called “maturity”. That doesn’t mean “the right stuff” can’t be developed – it’s just going to take a different approach. Aspiring leaders need to know what to do and not do, be exposed to positive roles models, get opportunities to practice and get behavioral feedback, and perhaps even have access to some professional coaching. <br /><br />We can, however, incorporate this “right stuff” into our competency models or hiring profiles for selection and promotion. There are even <a href="http://www.ccl.org/leadership/assessments/assessment360.aspx">360 assessments</a> and <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2010/07/beware-of-dark-side-of-leadership-11.html">behavioral assessments</a> that have been validated to measure these factors.<br /><br />So what should you take away from all this?<br /><br />1. Understand what really matters when it comes to business and leadership success. <br />2. Get feedback (early in your career or when your business is doing great, before it’s too late).<br /><br />3. Never give in - take action to improve. If companies or individuals heed the early warning signs of failure, they can usually take action to prevent it.<br /><br />Note: Many thanks to GL reader and manager Jon Housknecht (@WSTheHouse), for bringing the Goleman article “<a href="http://hbr.org/2004/01/what-makes-a-leader/ar/1">What Makes a Leader</a>” to my attention and inspiring this post. <br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-3601186746768115771?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-30677901738328981542010-08-22T08:39:00.000-04:002010-08-22T08:39:37.712-04:00Get Real: Leaders are Judged and Asking the Right Questions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/THEZg_lGpJI/AAAAAAAABVY/lH4rNEHG_qU/s1600/DRawady06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/THEZg_lGpJI/AAAAAAAABVY/lH4rNEHG_qU/s200/DRawady06.JPG" width="163" /></a></div><br /><em>Here's a couple short guest posts from Donna Rawady, from her blog “<a href="http://donnarawady.wordpress.com/">Get Real</a>”:</em><br /><br /><strong>LEADERS ARE JUDGED—REMEMBER IT’S SELDOM PERSONAL</strong><br />(posted 4/27/10)<br /><br />Regardless of how strong a leader you may be, how successful you are in your role, or how highly you may be regarded, the higher up you move in an organization, the more you will undoubtedly be judged by others. Whether you’re being judged positively or negatively, through casual comment or organized assessments, here are a few things to consider as you receive direct or indirect feedback about you and/or your organization:<br /><br />- Listen intently. Ask questions to help clarify the perceptions. Hold your response until you’ve had time to consider what you’re hearing.<br /><br />- Look for common themes. Common themes in feedback offer a great foundation for what you may want to learn more about, keep doing, or pay more attention to. At the very least—true or false—common themes reflect current perceptions. And perceptions can have a significant impact on the overall health of your organization.<br /><br />- Clarify what may have been misinterpreted. If you feel that you’ve clearly communicated a change or a standard, yet through feedback, you learn that others are not receiving the information as you had hoped, you may want to consider communicating again with added clarity. If you’re attempting to implement a significant change, consider communicating the message more than once, through multiple channels or approaches. <br /><br />- Take feedback seriously, yet avoid taking it personally. If feedback has a negative tone, it’s natural to feel defensive. However, you don’t want to be reactive. Work through it off-line, so that you can approach the feedback with a more objective, bigger picture perspective.<br /><br />- Thank those that are offering the feedback and let them know they’ve been heard. If you’ve settled on any strategies in response to the feedback, and you find it appropriate, share your plans.<br /><br />Remember that candid feedback is a gift, and your ability to listen, consider, and respond—without taking it personally—will increase its value and impact on business.<br /><br /><br /><strong>ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS WILL HELP YOU PROFESSIONALLY DEVELOP YOUR TEAM</strong><br />(posted 6/8/2010)<br /><br />It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that as a manager, you should know how to best leverage your team members’ strengths and develop their skills. But if you haven’t focused on their professional development in a while, you may be at a loss as to where to start. Some people need a great deal of direction and attention, while others prefer to work autonomously once a clear goal is established. Some are more innately equipped, while others need more focused development. It’s the manager’s job to decipher who needs what.<br /><br />A great place to start is to begin presenting the right questions, listening for answers, and using those answers to create customized development plans for each team member.<br /><br />Here are a few examples of simple questions that, when answered, can launch effective short-term professional development plans for individuals—whether they are highly successful or struggling:<br /><br />- What one thing might I begin doing, as your manager, to best help you be more successful (or continue to be successful) in this area? <br /><br />- Of the projects you’re working on right now, which do you feel you’re most confident about, and where do you find yourself consistently challenged? Where you’re challenged, how specifically, might I best support you in the short-term? <br /><br />- As your manager, I want to give you the space you need to work independently, yet I want to be available to you when you need it. Can you offer me one or two examples of where I might either be more, or less, involved to best support you? <br /><br />- I want to be sure I’m offering you opportunities to stretch and grow. Do you have any specific interests to contribute, learn about, or get involved in any new areas of the business?<br /><br />It may seem overwhelming to launch a professional development plan for your employees. Asking the right questions offers a manageable start.<br /><br /><em><a href="http://www.donnarawady.com/index.html">Donna Rawady</a> is an Executive Coach and Consultant and has been serving clients independently since 1989. </em><br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-3067790173832898154?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-23744238116459011192010-08-19T06:14:00.000-04:002010-08-19T06:14:59.491-04:00Sharing Your Expectations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TG0DsO9729I/AAAAAAAABVQ/Ge6ZEqy4Rpc/s1600/decoder_ring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TG0DsO9729I/AAAAAAAABVQ/Ge6ZEqy4Rpc/s200/decoder_ring.jpg" width="164" /></a></div>I’m sure most Great Leadership leaders have been though management 101 classes, read books or blogs, and have heard about the importance of setting expectations. We’ve all heard about <a href="http://www.halogensoftware.com/resources/reference-library/writing-smart-goals.php">SMART goals</a>, <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2009/08/inspect-what-you-expect.html">inspecting what we expect</a>, the importance of job descriptions, and yada, yada, yada.<br /><br />All good stuff, and I’ll tell you, it’s true.<br /><br />So why don’t more managers do it? Is it that, like a lot of management and HR practices, we make it sound more complicated than it needs to be? If you’ve ever sat though a lesson on how to write SMART goals, you might come to that conclusion too. <br /><br />It really doesn't have to be. Here’s all you have to do:<br /><br />1. Set aside 30 minutes of uninterrupted time. Turn off your phone, your email, and shut your door.<br /><br />2. Take out a blank pad of paper and a pen, or open up a Word document.<br /><br />3. Think about what you would look for in an ideal employee if you were hiring someone tomorrow. Jot those things down.<br /><br />4. Think back to all of the performance discussions you’ve had with employees over the last few years. Jot the opposite of those things down, but add the word “don’t” in front of each.<br /><br />5. Think about all of the things that are important to you that you have not discussed with employees, but you have implied. Add to your list.<br /><br />6. Think of your best employees – what has made them so good? What does their best work look like and how do they do it? You got it, more for your list.<br /><br />At the end of 30 minutes or sooner, you should have no problem filling up at least one sheet of paper.<br /><br />Whatever you do, don’t go back and sanitize it. This is not an official HR job description that has to pass EEO and department of labor standards. It’s simply a list of stuff that anyone who has worked for you for 5 years has probably figured out. Maybe….. but have all of your employees? Perhaps to them it's been like figuring out the secrets of <span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vinci-Code-Widescreen-Two-Disc-Special/dp/B00005JOC9?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">the Da Vinci Code</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B00005JOC9" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span>.<br /><br />I’ll tell you a story I heard from some consultant or trainer – maybe an author – and I can’t remember who, so my apologies to whoever told it. Skip to the end if you've heard it.<br /><br /><em>A CEO was getting very frustrated with one of her senior managers. She was so fed up, she was about to fire him. But before she did, she felt she should give him one last chance and hired an executive coach to work with the manager at a cost of $20,000.</em><br /><br /><em>So after explaining the situation to the coach, the coach asked her to write down a list of expectations that she had for this manager. Basically, the same exercise you just did. He thanked her, and said he would do his best, and left an invoice for 50% of the total bill.</em><br /><br /><em>The first thing the coach did when he met with the manager was to give him the list. The manager was amazed – he had never seen anything like that before. He was able to figure out what he was doing wrong and what he needed to do to please his boss and be successful. He thanked the coach and went on his way.</em><br /><br /><em>Three months later, the coach met with the CEO to review progress. The CEO was ecstatic with the manager’s performance – a complete turnaround. She asked the coach – “how did you do it?” The coach told the CEO he simply gave the manager the list of expectations and gave her an invoice for the rest of the bill.</em><br /><br /><em>The CEO, with a look of shock and anger, said: “You SOB – I’m not paying you - you cheated!”</em><br /><br />OK, so maybe the story is a bit of an exaggeration. But maybe not. <br /><br />I wonder what would happen if you shared that list of expectations at a team meeting or with employees individually? What harm could it do? You could also use the list as a way to onboard new employees - their very own new manager <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_decoder_ring">secret decoder ring</a>. <br /><br />Even better – what if you asked your employees for a list of what they expected <em>from you</em> in order for them to meet your expectations and be successful?<br /><br />Naw, now that’s just crazy talk.<br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-2374423811645901119?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-47597025860051950112010-08-15T09:17:00.000-04:002010-08-15T09:17:03.414-04:00How to Discuss an Employee Performance Problem<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TGfoaqOuj0I/AAAAAAAABVI/1cCdRuroO4Q/s1600/sarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TGfoaqOuj0I/AAAAAAAABVI/1cCdRuroO4Q/s320/sarge.jpg" /></a></div>The thought occurred to me the other day that while I’ve written a lot about <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2010/05/how-to-be-accountable-and-hold-others.html">the importance of accountability</a> and <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2008/12/real-leaders-fire-underperformers.html">dealing with poor performers</a>, I’ve never actually written a post on exactly how to have a performance discussion. I have, however, written about <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2009/12/cowardly-managers-guide-to-dealing-with.html">how <em>not to</em> deal with underperformers</a>.<br /><br />Knowing how to sit down with an employee and have an effective conversation about a performance problem is one of the hardest things for any manager to do, new or experienced, and should never be taken for granted. <br /><br />It’s also something that’s often screwed up – managers are either too vague and soft or too blunt and harsh. Both won’t get the desired results – improved performance. <br /><br />We also don’t get to practice it a lot – unlike coaching or listening – so we can’t rely on repetition to get good at it. <br /><br />Here’s a basic roadmap to follow that works in just about any situation:<br /><br /><strong>1. Get your ducks in a row (preparation):</strong><br />Something’s happened that has brought the performance problem to your attention. It’s either some objective performance data (sales numbers) or some kind of behavioral issue (falling asleep in a meeting). Gather all the data you can – get input from other sources if you can. It’s like CSI work – you’re gathering evidence to be able to convince yourself first, then the employee. <br />Then, write an outline of what you want to say and how you want to say it. If it’s serious stuff, you’ll want to involve your friendly local HR person. No, really – involve them. This is when you’ll realize how valuable a good HR pro can be. They deal with this nonsense on a regular basis. <br />Schedule a meeting – allow an hour – in a private location (closed door office or conference room). There’s no good time to have this kind of conversation, but Friday afternoon might be about the best. <br /><br /><strong>2. Explain the performance issue.</strong><br />Forget the friendly small talk – just get to the point. In a calm and conversational manner, explain to the employee what the performance issue or behavior is and why it concerns you. There are a couple models for doing this:<br />- SBR (Situation, Behavior, and Result): “In our meeting this week, you fell asleep. I had to wake you up and embarrass you in front of your peers.”<br />- BFE (Behavior, Feeling, and Effect): “When you fell asleep in our meeting, I felt like you were not interested in what I had to say. That sets a poor example for the rest of the team.”<br />However you do it, you’re basically helping the employee understand what exactly you are concerned about and why it concerns you.<br /><br /><strong>3. Ask for reasons and listen.</strong><br />This is where you give the employee a chance to give their side of things. Don’t ask: “So – what the hell were you thinking?” Instead, try something like: “So help me understand how this could happen?”<br />The key here is to really listen – for facts and feelings. There may be some legitimate reason for the problem – there usually is, at least from the employee’s perspective. Understanding the real underlying causes will help you and the employee do the next step, which is….<br /><br /><strong>4. Solve the problem.</strong><br />That’s the whole point of the discussion, right? Eliminate the causes and make the problem go away. A lot of managers seem to lose sight of that.<br />This really should be a collaborative discussion. In fact, it’s best to ask for the employee’s ideas on solving the problem first. People support what they create. The employee’s idea may not be as good as yours, but they’ll be more likely to own it and have success implementing it. If you’re not confident the employee’s idea is going to work, you can always add your own as an additional idea. The key here is to make sure the employee is committed – which leads to the next step….<br /><br /><strong>5. Ask for commitment and set a follow-up date.</strong><br />Summarize the action plan, and ask for the employee’s commitment. They need to say it to own it. Then make sure to set and agree on a follow-up date to check in on progress. That way, if your original ideas are not working, you can come up with additional ideas. You also let the employee know you’re not going to let it slide.<br /><br /><strong>6. Express your confidence (and possible consequences). </strong><br />If this is just the first discussion, and not a serious infraction, then there’s no need to mention consequences. However, if not, then you’ll need to make sure you clearly describe what will happen if there is insufficient improvement in performance or if the behavior does not improve. Either way, end it on a positive note - by expressing your confidence that the solutions you’ve both come up with will work. I realize this is hard to do if you don’t sincerely mean it – if that’s the case, then don’t say it.<br /><br />There you go. After the meeting, document the discussion, and keep it in your employee file. Then, make sure there’s follow-up.<br /><br />A lot of good employees screw up now and then. If you follow this process, you’ll get most of them back on track before it gets out of hand.<br /><br />How about it – did I miss anything? What works and does not work for you?<br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-4759702586005195011?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-41742116107549166562010-08-12T21:39:00.000-04:002010-08-12T21:39:00.321-04:00Learning Journals for Leadership Development<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TGSfhUEiNlI/AAAAAAAABU4/Hc3DVQGPmTI/s1600/journals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TGSfhUEiNlI/AAAAAAAABU4/Hc3DVQGPmTI/s200/journals.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />I’ve had a couple recent requests from readers for information on learning journals:<br /><br /><em>"I’ve been intrigued by the idea of using journaling & reflective writing, but can’t find any resources for how to get that off the ground. I’m worried about pitching it to people who may feel like it’s simply a teenage “dear diary” and am wondering how to provide some structure and support for this kind of process without demanding people turn in their journals for review. Any help?”</em><br /><br /><em>“Would you be able to provide me and your readers with the ins and outs of journaling and how to use it as a learning tool? I am very interested in this piece, but not quite sure what goes into it. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!”</em><br /><br />You may have kept a diary as a kid, or were forced to write them as a part of your summer camp experience. Then, perhaps you never used them again.<br /><br />I guess you could say blogging is a modern electronic form of a journal. That’s one of the benefits I get from blogging – writing about leadership development sure has helped my development.<br /><br />So why and how would you use a journal for leadership development?<br /><br />First of all, the physical act of writing something down promotes learning. It probably has something to do with internalization and ownership (“I wrote it down so it must be true”) – or maybe there’s some weird physical neurological thing going on.<br /><br />Journaling also helps promote reflection, and reflection is a critical component required in order to learn from experience. And of course, learning from experience is where most of our development as leaders comes from.<br /><br />This is one of those practices where I just can’t point to <a href="http://jme.sagepub.com/content/27/1/52.short">a mountain of research</a> – I just know it works. Besides, no one has ever resisted the idea or questioned it. <br /><br />Oh, and there’s one more very practical reason (now we’re talking) for using journals for leadership development. There sure are a lot cheaper and easier to produce than thick 3 inch training binders (which end up in trash cans or gathering dusts on shelves). You can buy a very nice one at any office supply store for under $20.00. <br /><br />Here are 4 ways learning journals can be used for leadership development:<br /><br /><strong>1. Part of a formal training program.</strong><br />Either send journals out with pre-work material or hand out the first day of the program. Encourage participants to use them to record questions, notes, insights, and action plans.<br /><br />Of all the leadership and management programs I’ve been to, the one piece of collateral I most often refer to is the learning journal from an executive education program I attended at Darden.<br /><br /><strong>2. Part of a coaching engagement.</strong><br />Give one to your coachee as a gift at the beginning of a coaching engagement. Encourage them to write down their goals, actions plans, commitments, what they are learning about themselves, and reflections on assignments.<br /><br /><strong>3. Part of a development assignment.</strong><br />Stretch assignments and job changes are often used for leadership development. However, what’s often missing is taking the time to reflect and debrief with a manager, coach, or mentor. See CCL's <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2007/11/questions-that-facilitate-learning-from.html">Questions That Facilitate Learning From a Development Assignment.</a><br /><br /><strong>4. When shadowing.</strong><br />Shadowing is when you find someone who’s really good at something and follow them around to learn how they do it. It’s a great way to begin to onboard new managers, or for any manager to get better at something. Journals are used to take notes, jot down questions for follow-up, and for self-reflection. <br /><br />A journal is meant to be a place to record personal reflections, learnings, questions, and notes. It's the property of the learner, and should never be expected to be submitted for review or assessment.<br /><br />It's so simple it doesn't need structure or instructions - at least not for mature adults. It would kind of take the fun out of it. <br />How about you? How have you used journals for learning and personal growth?<br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-4174211610754916656?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-60455768026284443672010-08-07T23:52:00.000-04:002010-08-07T23:52:40.542-04:0010 Tips for Developing Your Leadership “Cojones”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TF1DLm9u3EI/AAAAAAAABUo/-LsqrFeuDBc/s1600/kanji-symbol-for-courage.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TF1DLm9u3EI/AAAAAAAABUo/-LsqrFeuDBc/s200/kanji-symbol-for-courage.gif" width="162" /></a></div><em>Note from Dan: while I normally write a PG blog, this post is rated PG13, parental discretion is advised.</em><br /><br />Sarah Palin recently said <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/01/palin-brewer-cojones-obama-lacks-immigration-enforcement/">on Fox News Sunday</a> that President Obama doesn't have "the cojones" to effectively address the issue of illegal immigration.<br /><br />Yikes, when’s the last time you heard a political leader accused of that? Actually, according to my extensive 10 minutes worth of Google research, not since then-U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Madeleine Albright <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/25857">famously said in 1996</a> that Cuba's shooting down of planes flown by anti-Castro exiles was "not cojones" but "cowardice."<br /><br />So what does it mean to “not have the cojones” as a leader, and does it really matter? And at the risk of being crude, what exactly are “cojones”?<br /><br />Yes, Great Leadership will be the first to tackle these tough questions.<br /><br />We’ll start with a definition. According to Wikipedia, <em>“Cojones is a vulgar Spanish word for testicles, denoting courage. In English, as a loanword, it similarly means courage or brazenness.” </em><br /><br />So we’re talking about leadership courage here. And in the context of leadership courage, it’s a gender neutral thing.<br /><br />Does courage matter? According to most of the research on leadership effectiveness I’ve seen, courage ranks pretty high as an important leadership characteristic.<br /><br />We all know this, right? We sure know it when we don’t see it. Who wants to work for a manager that:<br /><br /> Won’t take tough stands with others<br /><br /> Doesn’t step up to the issues<br /><br /> Is intimidated by others in power<br /><br /> Avoids conflict<br /><br /> Won’t look out for the best interests of the team<br /><br /> Can’t make a tough decision<br /><br />In other words, a wimp. <br /><br />As a leader, I would hate to be called out as a wimp. Ouch. However, if it happens to you, there is hope. Like any valid leadership characteristic, there is no “courage gene”. Someone does not emerge from the womb courageous – it’s something that can be learned and developed.<br /><br />How? Here are 10 tips for managers (or anyone) that will help grow some leadership cojones (courage):<br /><br /><strong>1. Get clear on what’s important.</strong><br />Identify your core values, principles, or “<a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2008/06/leadership-rules.html">leadership rules</a>”. Let these be your guiding light. Establish a vision of who you want to be as a leader, and then begin to live up to that vision.<br /><br /><strong>2. Learn how to deal with conflict.</strong><br />Read books or take courses in conflict management, negotiations, influence, assertiveness, giving feedback, and/or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Conversations-Tools-Talking-Stakes/dp/0071401946?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">crucial conversations</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0071401946" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Then practice until it hurts.<br /><br /><strong>3. Develop your leadership “presence”.</strong><br />I’ve written posts on <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2009/02/lipstick-on-pig-10-ways-to-improve-your.html">how to do this</a>. Presence is more than an inner confidence – it’s a commanding physical presence as well. Like it or not, as a leader, image matters. People will size you up in less than 30 seconds, so yes, that initial greeting <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/worklife/11/05/cb.hand.shake/index.html">and handshake</a> (avoid the "dead fish") really do matter. <br /><br /><strong>4. Ask yourself: “what’s the worst thing that could happen”?</strong><br />The next time you feel the urge to challenge someone in power or take an unpopular stand, ask yourself this question: “What’s the worst thing that could happen”? Do you really think you’re going to get fired? Yelled at? Disgraced for life? Yes, there’s a slight chance that any of those things could happen, but in reality, it’s not very likely. We make up all kind of horror stories in our heads that prevent us from saying or doing what’s right. Next time, <a href="http://www.tompeters.com/dispatches/010356.php">take the advice from Tom Peters</a>, and just say “what the hell”. <br /><br /><strong>5. Trial by fire.</strong><br />Volunteer for a high stakes, tough assignment that will require you to make tough calls and deal with conflict. There’s no better way to learn than by earning your scars through experience. Step up and be the person who has to cut the budget, close an office, handle the next layoff, or deliver the bad news. <br /><br /><strong>6. Learn from role models.</strong><br />Identify people in your company whose courage you admire. Talk to them and learn how they act on their convictions. Read a biography of a courageous leader (C<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=068482535X" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />hurchill, Lincoln, Ghandi).<br /><br /><strong>7. Be a fixer, not a victim.</strong><br />When you see a problem that you think “someone” should address, ask yourself if you could be doing something about it. It’s easy to complain or point fingers – it takes courage to be a part of the solution.<br /><br /><strong>8. Avoid wimpy words and language.</strong><br />Here’s an example of a meeting behavior that drives me nuts. Someone meekly half raises their hand and says “can I ask a question”? When you do that, you might as well hang a wimp sign around your neck. You were invited to the meeting for a reason – to contribute. <br /><br /><strong>9. Remember that leadership is not a popularity contest.</strong><br />Leaders don’t manage by polls or surveys and strive to make everyone happy. In fact, if you haven’t ticked anyone off in the last year, you might be giving in too much instead of sticking to your convictions (see #1).<br /><br /><strong>10. Hold yourself and others accountable.</strong><br />High performers want and expect to be held accountable by their leaders. High performing teams will even hold each other accountable. When you establish and commit to a standard or expectation, courageous <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2010/05/how-to-be-accountable-and-hold-others.html">leaders hold themselves and others accountable</a> to those expectations. <br /><br />This post is sponsored by <strong>Halogen software</strong>. Find the best <a href="http://www.halogensoftware.com/products/">talent management</a> software at HalogenSoftware.com.<br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-6045576802628444367?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-69538607525872116222010-08-02T06:28:00.000-04:002010-08-02T06:28:50.880-04:00An “Out-of-the-Box” Training Program for New Managers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TFaa5sUWFzI/AAAAAAAABUQ/e_WMCQGWm8k/s1600/1194985354504039734out_of_the_box_nicu_bucu_01_svg_med.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="188" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TFaa5sUWFzI/AAAAAAAABUQ/e_WMCQGWm8k/s200/1194985354504039734out_of_the_box_nicu_bucu_01_svg_med.png" width="200" /></a></div>If I were asked to develop a training program for new managers, the first thing I’d want to do is ask a lot of questions. I’d want to understand the business challenges, interview or survey a bunch of newly promoted managers, their employees, and their managers, and talk to HR and others who could provide me some insight. In other words, a good old-fashioned needs assessment.<br /><br />However, at the end of the day, there is a good chance the program would look very similar from one company to another, across cultures, and probably wouldn’t even change much over the years. <br /><br />I’ve found that when someone is promoted to their very first management role, the things they struggle with the most remain pretty common and consistent. For example, every new manager struggles with and has to learn how to confront performance issues. It’s probably the hardest part of the job and always will be. <br /><br />Given that, I thought I’d provide Great Leadership readers with an out-of-the-box, ready-to-configure, new manager training program. No charge. It’s just what those clueless, yet eager to learn newbie managers needs to survive that challenging first year and build a foundation for success as a leader. <br /><br />I’d suggest you still do that needs assessment – context is always important. Then, voila! You pull this out of your back pocket. Stick your company logo on it and you’re good to go. (-:<br /><br />We’ll start off with a little <strong>pre-work</strong>:<br /><br />- Some kind of assessment (a 360 assessment, MBTI, DISC, FIRO-B, etc…)<br /><br />- Access to all of the HR stuff they need to be aware of – a website, online modules, or a binder. Better yet if someone from HR calls the new manager upon promotion to provide a 30 minute orientation. The script would go something like this: “Hi, I’m Fred, your HR manager. Here’s where everything is located you may need to know some day. Get familiar with it, but I don’t expect you to memorize it. Just know it enough to know when to call me when you need help before you make any stupid mistakes that could get us sued.” <br /><br />- A conference call with all participants to introduce the program, each other, and the trainer(s)<br /><br />- Have them interview 3 experienced managers<br /><br />- Give instructions to review preliminary learning goals with their own manager<br /><br />- Send a journal to all participants with instructions on how to use it as a learning tool<br /><br />- Reading assignment: 1-2 good online articles or programs, or a good book on the basics of management<br /><br />Here’s the program elements for <strong>the 3-5 day classroom program</strong><br /><br />- A kick-off by a company big-wig<br /><br />- Time to review and discuss the pre-work (insights, questions, application, etc…)<br /><br />- An opportunity to hear from experienced, role model managers, including open Q&A<br /><br />- Making the transition from individual contributor to manager, i.e., “buddy to boss”<br /><br />- Review the HR stuff you need to know to stay out of jail<br /><br />- How to find and hire good people<br /><br />- Performance Management, including:<br /><br />o Goal setting<br /><br />o Giving ongoing feedback and coaching<br /><br />o Assessing performance<br /><br />o Progressive discipline (what to do when someone is not meeting expectations, up to and including how to fire someone<br /><br />- How to inspire, motivate, and provide meaningful recognition<br /><br />- How to develop your employees<br /><br />- How to run a meeting<br /><br />- How to begin to build a team<br /><br />- A debrief of assessment results<br /><br />- Individual development planning (action plan to take home for next 6-12 months)<br /><br />- Standing ovation for the trainer and a group hug (-:<br /><br />Follow up with some <strong>post-work</strong>:<br /><br />- Review IDP with manager<br /><br />- Continue to journal (reflective learning)<br /><br />- A few more articles, online programs, and or a book<br /><br />- 90 day check in and evaluation<br /><br />I know I’ve left out a lot – things like leading change, how to delegate, budgeting and finance, process improvement, time management, critical thinking, etc…. you can’t learn everything about management and leadership in a single training program. However, I think I’ve covered the basic first 6-12 month survival skills.<br /><br />Here are a few related posts that should also help in program design:<br /><br />- <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2009/02/how-to-design-frugal-leadership.html">How to Design a Frugal Leadership Development Program</a><br /><br />- <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2008/06/how-to-build-leadership-development.html">How to Build a Leadership Development Program</a> <br /><br />- <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2009/11/7-elements-of-great-leadership.html">7 Elements of a Great Leadership Development Workshop</a> <br /><br />What do you think? What would you add, delete, or change? Please do, I'd love to see your ideas<br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-6953860752587211622?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-34279260591900970452010-08-01T18:00:00.000-04:002010-08-01T18:00:39.026-04:00The August 1, 2010 Leadership Development Carnival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TFXYGBVNWTI/AAAAAAAABUI/d0lk57g9efY/s1600/leadership+carnival-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="89" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TFXYGBVNWTI/AAAAAAAABUI/d0lk57g9efY/s200/leadership+carnival-5.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The August 1, 2010 Leadership Development Carnival is alive! But it's not here......<br /><br />Jason Seiden is this month's host, over at his <a href="http://jasonseiden.com/blog/">Fail Spectacularly blog</a>. <a href="http://jasonseiden.com/leadership-carnival-fail-style/">Follow this link</a> to a collection of awesome leadership development wisdom, all under one roof. <br /><br />Thanks for hosting, Jason - well done. Next month's Leadership Development Carnival will be back here at Great Leadership on September 5th.<br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-3427926059190097045?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-32404245033561003552010-07-29T07:24:00.000-04:002010-07-29T07:24:37.340-04:0010 Reasons to go on a Vacation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TFFi3--xGYI/AAAAAAAABT0/4ilCby-tCsg/s1600/escape3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" bx="true" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TFFi3--xGYI/AAAAAAAABT0/4ilCby-tCsg/s320/escape3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Guest post by <a href="http://www.azzarellogroup.com/blog/">Patty Azzarello</a>:<br /><br />As it is the summer, I thought I would share 10 of the many sound business reasons to go on vacation — in addition to the fact that you deserve it and are supposed to enjoy your life and have some fun…<br /><br /><strong>1. Going on a vacation shows you are competent</strong> at your job because you can manage and plan enough to free up some time in your schedule, and not leave a festering mess in your absence. Not being able to take a vacation for years shows that your work and your team are so out of control that you can’t even be gone for a week.<br /><br /><strong>2. No one is impressed</strong> that you have not had a vacation If you think your company, or your team appreciates your extra-work ethic, they don’t. <br /><br /><strong>3. Your team is motivated</strong> from seeing that you support and allow people to have a life — as long as you don’t send them email every day! Set the expectation you will be generally out of touch. Arrange 1-2 check-in points if you can’t stand to let go entirely, but don’t just go somewhere else and keep working.<br /><br /><strong>4. Your team gets more productive</strong> when you go away. You give them a break from worrying about all the things you throw in their way when they are trying to get their work done. After about 2 weeks they will miss you and need you again, but in the mean time their productivity will actually go up.<br /><br /><strong>5. Being unavailable</strong> is an effective technique for developing people. It forces them to step up. Just be careful not to un-do everything they did in your absence just because it was different than the way you would have done it.<br /><br /><strong>6. If something comes up</strong> in your work that you can’t avoid and you need to cancel your vacation, reschedule another one while you are canceling. This will minimize resentment and disappointment, give you something to look forward to… and ensure you don’t go too long without a vacation.<br /><br /><strong>7. You will be more productive</strong> at work, if you step away from it and give your back-of-mind processes a chance to chew on things while you are otherwise in a good (or at least different!) mood. <br /><br /><strong>8. You will realize</strong> that some of the things that you thought were important before your vacation don’t actually need to get done after all. When you step away, the most strategic things re-assert themselves and all the clutter drops several notches in volume.<br /><br /><strong>9. Your company prefers</strong> people who enjoy their life because they have more positive energy to bring to their work.<br /><br /><strong>10. You need a break</strong> whether you know it or not!<br /><br />Patty Azzarello became the youngest general manager at HP at the age of 33. She ran a $1B software business at the age of 35 and became a CEO for the first time at the age of 39. Patty has held leadership roles in General Management, Marketing, Software Product Development and Sales, and has been successful in running large and small businesses. <br /><br />Patty is the founder and CEO of <a href="http://www.azzarellogroup.com/">Azzarello Group</a>, that works with companies to execute their strategy, and develop their top talent. <br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-3240424503356100355?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-65293247960844784802010-07-26T20:39:00.000-04:002010-07-26T20:39:55.538-04:00Leadership Development: Executive Self-Assessment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TE4p_SNfGOI/AAAAAAAABTs/hMmEwdbGj0w/s1600/aplus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" hw="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TE4p_SNfGOI/AAAAAAAABTs/hMmEwdbGj0w/s200/aplus.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />What’s the #1 differentiator between <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2010/02/bloomberg-businessweekcomhay-group.html">companies that excel at succession planning and leadership development</a> and those that simply “go through the motions”? <br /><br />It’s <strong>the ownership and commitment of the senior executive team</strong>. They believe in its strategic importance and treat it as a high priority. Without this, the typical reaction from every manager is likely to be “What’s the point? We go through the motions every year filling these forms out and nothing happens.”<br /><br />It not only becomes a demoralizing administrative time-waster, but when leadership positions need to be filled, we’re frustrated with the lack of qualified candidates. Of course, there’s also the frustration of our high potentials regarding lack of feedback, coaching, development opportunities, and any meaningful interest and involvement from their managers.<br /><br />The message is clear (pick one): <br /><br />1. Your development is not important to me; it’s not worth the expense or time.<br /><br />2. I don’t think you have the capacity to grow and change so why bother.<br /><br />3. You’re a manager – suck it up- you’re on your own when it comes to development.<br /><br />This lack of commitment and involvement then cascades down and throughout the organization. While there may be pockets of excellence, these overall message is pretty clear – it’s not important, just a “nice-to-do”. <br /><br />However, with commitment from the top, even the most incompetent HR department couldn’t possibly screw it up. Without it, all of the best process, systems, forms, and programs will have little impact.<br /><br />If you believe in the importance of getting our next generation of leaders ready to take the helm, then are you ready to take a hard look at your own level of commitment and do what it takes to really make a difference? Take the following executive self-assessment to find your opportunities to improve (or send it to your favorite senior executive).<br /><br /><strong>Rating scale: 5=always, 4=usually, 3=sometimes, 2= rarely, 1=never</strong><br /><br />1. When it comes to leadership development, I “practice what I preach”. I openly discuss my development needs and actions I’m taking to improve. <br />According to Marshall Goldsmith: “When the senior leader acts like a little god and tells everyone else to improve, this behavior can be copied at every level of management. Every level then points out how the level below it needs to change. The end result: No one gets much better.”<br /><br />2. I have regular (at least quarterly) conversations with my direct reports about their development. These discussions can include developmental feedback, coaching, or development planning… anything but “the numbers”.<br /><br />3. My development discussions include both improvements in the current role as well as preparation for future roles. <br /><br />4. I spend a significant amount of my time coaching, mentoring, providing feedback, and teaching high potential leaders (other than my direct reports). Note: look at your Outlook calendar over the last quarter to verify your assessment. <br /><br />5. I spend time on a regular basis (at least yearly) with my leadership team assessing talent. This includes reviewing the performance and potential of our direct report managers as well as the identification of emerging high potential leaders.<br /><br />6. I recognize and reward, and hold my direct reports accountable for the identification and development of high potential talent in their own organizations.<br /><br />7. When I have a management opening, I’m willing to consider “unlikely” candidates from outside my organization, for the purpose of providing a cross-functional development opportunity.<br /><br />8. I’m willing to let go of one of my best performers in order to prepare them for a larger leadership role. <br /><br />9. I regularly have talent discussions with my peers. We take “shared ownership” for the development of leaders, rather than operate in self-serving silos. <br /><br />10. When I’m traveling, I make sure to schedule time and meet with high potential talent.<br /><br />11. I use consistent and valid criteria when I assess the performance and potential of my managers (and they are all aware of this criteria).<br /><br />12. I take action to identify and remove underperformers that are blocking the development and movement of our high potentials.<br /><br />13. I’m actively involved in company leadership development programs (sponsorship, guest speaker, panel discussions, etc….<br /><br /><strong>Scoring key:</strong><br />45-65: Congratulations, you’re a leadership development machine!! You’re developing leadership strength for today and for the future. You rock!<br /><br />30-45: You’re doing some things well, but it’s not enough. Pick 2-3 items to improve and get to work.<br /><br />0-30: Wassa matta wit you? Well, at least you care enough to take the assessment. It’s never too late to change, but you need to get started today. Read Great Leadership to learn how to get started and good luck!<br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-6529324796084478480?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-67004814729641811942010-07-22T18:01:00.000-04:002010-07-22T18:01:44.584-04:00Defensive Driving for Leaders: Watch Out for Your Blind Spots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TEi5KF20T_I/AAAAAAAABTU/NXV-cHlJlDg/s1600/Blindspots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" hw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TEi5KF20T_I/AAAAAAAABTU/NXV-cHlJlDg/s200/Blindspots.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>You’re driving down the highway and need to make a lane change into the left lane. You glance at your rear view mirror, side view mirror and look to your left. All is clear, so you put your turn single on, begin to make the change, and all of a sudden, you hear a horn blow. You turn again to the left, and realize you almost just sideswiped a car while traveling 75 miles per hour. Your heart stops for a moment – it feels like when you’re leaning back in a chair and you lose your balance, and catch yourself before you fall over backwards.<br /><br />If you’ve been driving for a while, no doubt this has happened to you. There’s a zone in the road – big enough for a car, even an eighteen wheeler, depending on your car – that your rear and side view mirrors don’t pick up. It’s called <strong><span style="color: red;">a blind spot</span></strong>, and if you’re not careful (use your turn single, turn around, gradual lane changes), they can kill you and others.<br /><br />Leaders can have blind spots too. A leadership blind spot is some kind of behavior that a leader can’t see, but it exists for everyone else to see. See “Johari Window” diagram below.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TEi5V_wckzI/AAAAAAAABTc/HXkud5iqj-w/s1600/johari-window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TEi5V_wckzI/AAAAAAAABTc/HXkud5iqj-w/s320/johari-window.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />While leadership blind spots may not be as fatal as a driving blind spot, if never discovered and unaddressed, they can turn into <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2008/02/leadership-derailers-vs-weaknesses.html">career killers</a>, and wreck havoc on those around them. <br /><br />Everyone has blind spots. Here’s a trick question: “What are yours?” <br /><br />Answer: “If you knew what they were, then they’re not blind spots.”<br /><br />I’ll bet this is starting to sound like “<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/">The Matrix</a>”, or “<a href="http://inceptionmovie.warnerbros.com/">Inception</a>” (an awesome movie, btw). Yes, this blind spot business can be tricky.<br /><br />Discovering your leadership blind spots is the same as bringing your driving blind spots into view – you need to look in multiple mirrors and get input from all sides.<br /><br />Here are some ways to uncover your blind spots:<br /><br />1. Take a 360 leadership assessment. 360 assessments will give you written feedback on key leadership behaviors from your manager, peers, employees, and others. Try <a href="http://www.lpionline.com/">LPI Online</a> for an relatively inexpensive option that requires no certification or debrief, or <a href="http://www.ccl.org/leadership/assessments/assessment360.aspx">any CCL assessment</a>. <a href="http://www.personneldecisions.com/">PDI</a>, <a href="http://www.lominger.com/">Lominger</a>, and <a href="http://www.ddiworld.com/">DDI</a> also all have excellent products.<br /><br />2. Take some kind of validated, reliable behavioral assessment that helps uncover potential behavioral issues. Try DISC, <a href="https://www.mbticomplete.com/en/index.aspx">MBTI Complete</a>, <a href="http://www.hoganassessments.com/assessments-overview">Hogan's HPI/HDS</a>, or <a href="http://www.centacs.com/services/assessments-tools/">The Workplace Big 5</a>. For any of these, it’s better to have someone who is familiar with the assessments to help you make sense of them. <br /><br />3. Engage a coach. Most coaches will use their own favorite assessments, as well as conduct <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2009/06/everybody-knows-about-your-weaknesses.html">stakeholder interviews. </a><br /><br />4. Ask for feedback – from your manager, employees, peers, etc… just make sure you’re ready to listen non-defensively. Giving feedback, even when asked, if difficult for many people. The way you ask and respond will influence the accuracy of the feedback.<br /><br />Whatever method you use, just be prepared for that “jolt” (that feeling of leaning backwards in the chair…) of awareness. Finding out we are not seen as we see ourselves can be pretty unsettling.<br /><br />Awareness is the first step in fixing blind spots, and often the most difficult. Then comes ownership, learning what to do differently (APBs, or alternative positive behaviors), and finally, lot’s practice to “cement” the new behaviors.<br /><br />Stay tuned for our next defensive driving lesson for leaders: “Don’t be checking your smart phone during your 1 on 1s”. (-:<br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-6700481472964181194?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-65144771322402139772010-07-18T10:03:00.000-04:002010-07-18T10:03:47.737-04:00Make Sure You “Hug” Your Top Performers During Times of Change<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TEMIPDa3G_I/AAAAAAAABTM/6koNw8feyuI/s1600/calvin_024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" hw="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TEMIPDa3G_I/AAAAAAAABTM/6koNw8feyuI/s200/calvin_024.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>I’ve been writing a lot about high potential, high performing employees lately. Although some hate the use of labels, I’ve referred to these employees as “hipos”, “A players”, and even “self-licking lollipops” (ugh!).<br /><br />A lot of managers make the mistake of thinking that during times of change, their top performers would be the least likely to need reassurance. That’s a major mistake, and could lead to turnover of your most valuable people when you need them the most.<br /><br />What are some of the major changes that can make your top performers jittery? Certainly layoffs would be the obvious choice, but they could also include mergers, acquisitions, a change in CEO or manager, a new job or responsibility, a change in process, or any change that could have someone wonder where they stand.<br /><br />Why in the world would a high performer have anything to worry about? Let’s say a 10% reduction in force is announced. That means 9 out of 10 employees <em>will not be affected</em>. Not a problem, right? Very wrong.<br /><br />First of all, we can’t assume employees know where they stand when it comes to how their performance is perceived. In study after study, high performers rate themselves lower than others rate them, and low performers rate themselves higher. <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolved-primate/201006/when-ignorance-begets-confidence-the-classic-dunning-kruger-effect">Low performers can’t recognize their own incompetence</a>, probably because they don’t know what it looks like and have never performed at a high level. High performers, on the other hand, are harder on themselves and have higher expectations of themselves.<br /><br />While this may not be true in jobs like sales or sports, where public performance stack ranking is commonplace, in most jobs, there’s no visible scorecard that tells us where we stand. <br /><br />As managers, we often take our high performers for granted. Again, we assume they know they are good – and don’t need to be told. In fact, a lot of managers seem to feel it’s their job to keep their high performers humble and grounded – "so they don’t get too full of themselves" – and end up being overly critical and stingy with the praise (I've often wondered if this is really insecurity on the part of the manager). <br /><br />To make matters worse – managers often are told by HR that when if an employee is identified in a succession planning process as high potential, <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2009/11/high-potential-notification-guidelines.html">they are not allowed to tell them</a>. They take that to the extreme – and it makes them gun shy about saying anything encouraging to the employee. <br /><br />I also know there are companies that train their managers that when a layoff is announced, they are not allowed to give their high performers any kind of assurance (and most probably do anyway). Again, its risk management to the extreme. The thinking is “well, you never know”. You can’t say anything until you go through the formal ranking and selection process, and all notifications are given at the same time. <br /><br />All of these factors add up to a perfect storm of high performer insecurity – and the possibility that your best people could bolt. It’s way too late to offer reassurance during an exit interview.<br /><br />So what’s a manager to do? How about retention or “stay-on” bonuses? Personally, I think <a href="http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6246.html">they are a waste of money</a>. They can even be perceived as a bribe, and insulting.<br /><br />What your top performers really need to hear during times of chance is that they are valued. Let them know how good their performance is, how they are perceived by others, and what a promising future they have with your company. <br /><br />One of the major reason employees are looking to leave their present employer is a perceived lack of career growth and development (often blocked by a lousy manager). Talk to them about their career and development goals, and make sure you regularly review their individual development plan.<br /><br />During times of change, we’re told as leaders we need to get out and be visible and over communicate. While that’s true, we especially need to make sure we are meeting with our high performers individually and asking them if they have questions, concerns, and how they are reacting to the change. You need to read between the lines and pay attention to the subtle clues that the employee needs reassurance. <br /><br />Let them know that you need their support. If possible, get them involved in the change – or at least solicit their input and ideas.<br /><br />That’s all it sometimes takes – maybe 10 minutes of your time as a manager. A little praise, a little listening, little reassurance – and maybe a hug (metaphorically of course). <br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-6514477132240213977?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-11439036869338834482010-07-17T09:38:00.000-04:002010-07-17T09:38:09.997-04:00Name My Leadership Development Book Contest<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1591842948" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />I was pleased to recently be rated #5 in HR Examiner’s <a href="http://www.hrexaminer.com/lists/top-25-online-influencers-in-leadership/the-entire-list">Top 25 Digital Influencers in Leadership</a>. While that’s way cool, I know I’ll never achieve <a href="http://www.topleadershipgurus.com/list.php">true leadership development guru status</a> until I have a best selling book. Well, maybe even an OK selling e-book<br /><br />I know what I want to write about – <strong>a practitioners guide to leadership development and succession</strong> <strong>planning</strong>. It will be filled with practical advice and tools – an expanded collection of my best posts and more. <br /><br />What I don’t have is a title. Now I’ve noticed that the books that seem to get the most buzz and sell well have <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/276.Best_Book_Titles">provocative titles</a>. <br /><br />Here’s a few already taken leadership titles from Amazon, keywords “leadership”, and “leadership development”:<br /><br />“<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Get-Rid-Performance-Review-Managing-/dp/044655605X?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Get Rid of the Performance Review</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=044655605X" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />”. Hey, everyone hates performance reviews, so this one worked well for the author.<br /><br />“<a href="http://www.amazon.com/21-Irrefutable-Laws-Leadership-Follow/dp/0785288376?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0785288376" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />”. That’s it, maybe I need a good number. But is it 1, 2, 4, 21, or 101? <br /><br />“<a href="http://www.amazon.com/You-Dont-Need-Title-Leader/dp/0385517475?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0385517475" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />”. This one appealed to the masses and broadened the potential audience. These are good because they get purchased in bulk and handed out as motivational gifts.<br /><br />“<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Secrets-Attila-Wess-Roberts/dp/B000LP66RK?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun</a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Sopranos-Style-Become-Effective/dp/079318150X?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Leadership, Soprano Style</a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Secrets-Attila-Wess-Roberts/dp/B000LP66RK?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=079318150X" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=B000LP66RK" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />” and “". Hmmm…., so maybe pick a lovable bad guy? Maybe BP’s Tony Hayward, or Michael Scott from “The Office”?<br /><br />“<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Effective-Succession-Planning-Leadership-Continuity/dp/0814414168?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Effective Succession Planning: Ensuring Leadership Continuity and Building Talent from Within</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0814414168" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />”. Well, it’s descriptive, but borrrrring. <br /><br />“<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mojo-How-Keep-Back-Lose/dp/1401323278?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back if You Lose It</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1401323278" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />”. I like the word “mojo”, I could just say that all day. Mojo, mojo, mojo….<br /><br />“<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Leadership-Dummies-Marshall-Loeb/dp/0764551760?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Leadership for Dummies</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0764551760" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />”. How about “Leadership Development for Morons”? Or Idiots? Pinheads, dorks, muttonheads, boneheads, twits? Naw, that might insult my target audience. <br /><br />"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Asshole-Rule-Civilized-Workplace-Surviving/dp/0446526568?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0446526568" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />". A cuss word sure would get attention, although I’m not much of a cusser. <br /><br />OK, so I need some help from my readers. Here’s a few titles that I don’t think have been used yet – what do you think? What’s your favorite? Can you come up with more?<br /><br />1. “Kill All the Managers and Replace them with Leaders”. Kind of plays on <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2007/11/leadership-vs-management-does-it-really.html">the old “management is bad, leadership is good” cliché.</a><br /><br />2. “Using Social Media to Develop Leaders”. I could jump on the social medial bandwagon before it gets old. Although <a href="http://mashable.com/2010/07/06/prince-the-internet-is-over/">Prince has already declared the internet is over</a>.<br /><br />3. “Leadership is Underrated”. A companion to the bestselling “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Talent-Overrated-Separates-World-Class-Performers/dp/1591842948?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Talent is Overrated</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1591842948" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />”.<br /><br />4. “Get Rid of Talent Reviews”. If we’re getting rid of individual performance reviews, the next step should be to get rid of group talent reviews, right? <a href="http://punkrockhr.com/you-are-not-allowed-to-criticize-hr/">Trashing HR</a> always gets a lot of attention.<br /><br />5. “How to Develop Leaders in 30 days”. I could market it like a weight loss program and make an exaggerated claim. <br /><br />6. "Leadership Development the Justin Bieber Way”. Hey, he’s <a href="http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=3229740">the most searched person on the net</a>. Although I’m not sure about his staying power. Maybe Lady Gaga?<br /><br />7. “The Vampire's Leadership Development Guide”. Vampires are hot, hot, hot.<br /><br />8. “How to Lose Your Best Employees and Ruin Your Business”. Uh, see, it’s a book on what <em>not to do</em>… get it?<br /><br />9. “The No Bull%$#& Guide to Leadership Development”. I’ve actually written <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2009/03/no-bull-performance-review-process.html">a few “no b.s.” guides</a> before, but should I spell it out? A federal court just ruled <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/07/appeals-court-swears-off-fccs-indecency-rules-.html">you can swear on television</a>. <br /><br />10. “Annie’s Guide to Leadership Development”. <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2008/07/all-dogs-go-to-heaven.html">Annie was my lab</a> that’s in my profile picture. Dog books seem to be selling well these days too.<br /><br />How about it? Can you give me a few more ideas? Please comment with your ideas.<br /><br />I’ll send a review copy of the upcoming new book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Orange-Revolution-Transform-Entire-Organization/dp/1439182450?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">THE ORANGE REVOLUTION</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1439182450" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" /><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1439182450" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />: <em>How One Great Team</em> <em>Can Transform an Entire Organization</em> (September 21, Free Press) by Chester Elston and Adrian Gostick, coauthors of the New York Times bestseller <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Carrot-Principle-Recognition-Accelerate-Performance/dp/1439149178?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Carrot Principle </a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1439149178" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />, to the one I like the best. Don’t forget to leave your email with your comment if you want to qualify for the book so that I can contact you.<br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-1143903686933883448?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-1977797425167682402010-07-11T22:01:00.000-04:002010-07-11T22:01:18.769-04:00Managing the “Toxic High Performer”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TDpy7PtsoDI/AAAAAAAABS8/OlIQ-x8J_ic/s1600/toxic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" rw="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TDpy7PtsoDI/AAAAAAAABS8/OlIQ-x8J_ic/s200/toxic.jpg" width="151" /></a></div>In <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2010/07/which-kind-of-team-member-is-most.html">a recent post</a>, I was surprised by the number of <a href="http://www.smartbrief.com/leadership/">SmartBrief</a> leaders (11.74%) that chose “The high performer who is rapidly rising” as their most challenging team member to lead.<br /><br />My response was <em>“really?!”</em> <br /><br />Yes, it can be somewhat challenging to keep a high performer challenged and motivated, but come on, that’s the fun part of leadership. When you have an employee that handles every challenge you throw at them, is thirsty for development, and consistently exceeds your expectations, that’s leadership nirvana. I once heard these employees described as “self licking lollypops”. <br /><br />Give me a team of “A” players ANY day, and I’ll gladly accept those “challenges”. <br /><br />Yes, true “hipos” tend not to stay in one place for a long time – they get “pulled” into larger and better roles – but so be it. I’d rather have 1-2 years of outstanding performance from one of these “A” players than a team of average performers or slackers and no turnover.<br /><br />I also pointed out that true hipos tend NOT to be arrogant, have over-inflated egos, or irritate their team members. If they did, than I wouldn’t consider them to have high potential. <br /><br />A few of my readers were not quite satisfied with that response. Here’s a comment from Tim that sums them up pretty well:<br /><br /><em>“I agree that this is not a description of a true "great performer," there are people who individually do a great job of meeting their own objectives, but simultaneously hurt others. Maybe it's a sales guy who has great numbers but is abusive to others on the team, or the brilliant engineer who won't get behind any product development idea that isn't his own. Perhaps we can title this character the "Toxic high performer." I believe that this situation presents a significant leadership challenge - I'd also be interested in hearing your thoughts on this.”</em><br /><br />OK, so for the purpose of this discussion, we’ll use the term “toxic high performer”. I’ll expand on Tim’s examples:<br /><br /> A rainmaker salesperson that won’t refer to his/her sales partners, won’t submit paperwork, won’t train or mentor, and causes problems for customer service<br /><br /> The technically brilliant scientist or engineer, who owns stacks of patents, but can’t or won’t collaborate as a part of a team<br /><br /> The plant or branch manager that consistently meets or exceeds his/her performance goals, but cuts ethical corners and employees can’t stand working for them<br /><br /> The trainer with the advanced degree and 20 years experience, who can design cutting edge, state of the art programs, but causes friction on a team and is always complaining about the company, coworkers, and management.<br /><br />Do these people sound familiar? They sure do to me. Folks, I really do get it – it’s just that I refuse to accept the premise that these employees are “top performers”, at least not by my definition, and I blame a lack of leadership for allowing them to get that way.<br /><br />I think we first need to define what’s meant by “performance”. It’s not just hitting or exceeding your performance goals. It’s also the behaviors or values used to reach those goals. For a manager, it would things like integrity, respect for others, collaboration, teamwork, and developing others. For the salesperson it would be partnering, teamwork, referrals, administrative excellence, and after-sale customer satisfaction. <br /><br />When Jack Welch ran GE, he held his managers accountable for results AND values, and was willing to discipline or fire a manager that was making their numbers but doing it in a way that didn’t adhere to GE values.<br /><br />A lot of companies develop and publish lists of values, competency models, and behavioral expectations, but few will hold “high performers” accountable to them. <br /><br />I’ve seen performance management systems that put a weight on both – sometimes it’s 80/20, 60/40, or even 50/50. Yes, it’s harder to measure and assess behaviors – but even attempting to get it right at least sets the expectation that both are important.<br /><br />There are other ways to cut your high performers some slack other than lowering behavioral expectations, and I think smart leaders know how to do this. They give them more flexibility in their schedules, more latitude in how they get the job done, more say in policy and strategy development, and the freedom to stay from rigid processes and rules that were probably designed to prevent poor performance (which shouldn't be an issue with your high performer, so they've earned a free pass).<br /><br />However – when a leader turns their back on a high performer’s “toxic” behaviors – then they are getting exactly what they expect and deserve. Everyone else will soon catch on that the values plaque on the wall is worthless, and all that really matters is results. <br /><br />When that happens, then yes leaders, you will have a BIG challenge to deal with.<br /><br />One more thing - what if you've inherited someone else's prima donna? It needs to be handled the same way as any other performance program that was ignored by a previous manager. You'll need to establish new expectations and <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2010/05/how-to-be-accountable-and-hold-others.html">hold the employee accountable</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-197779742516768240?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-13162309449074330642010-07-07T05:54:00.000-04:002010-07-07T05:54:51.897-04:00Beware of the Dark Side of Leadership: 11 Tragic Flaw Behaviors<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TDRGeX5mhiI/AAAAAAAABS0/Uw77i8IXdNQ/s1600/DVader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" rw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TDRGeX5mhiI/AAAAAAAABS0/Uw77i8IXdNQ/s200/DVader.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />Many leaders have what Aristotle would have called a “tragic flaw”. Othello's jealousy and Hamlet's failure to act are two well known literary examples. This weak spot that can lead to a leader’s downfall is often one of the leader’s greatest strengths, which when stressed and overused, turns into destructive behavior. <br /><br />I’ve always believed that most, if not all, leadership behavioral problems are a result of strengths that are over-used. I see it over and over when I review 360 assessments with managers. I can usually connect low scores for a problem behavior back to 1-2 high scores for overused skills. It’s one of the reasons I’m so concerned about the potential for misunderstanding and misuse of the whole “<a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2009/03/perils-of-accentuating-positive.html">strength-based</a>” leadership development movement. Only developing your strengths and not your weaknesses is a surefire recipe for leadership derailment.<br /><br />I’ve recently been looking into leadership assessments and am intrigued by <a href="http://www.hoganassessments.com/assessments-hogan-development-survey">the Hogan Development Survey</a> (HDS) assessment. There are <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2008/06/guide-to-leadership-assessments.html">a lot of leadership assessments</a> out there. Being a leadership development geek forces me to take a lot of them, more than any normal human being should have to endure. <br /><br />The thing that makes this assessment so interesting is that it measures the behavioral tendencies that if overused have proven to lead to leadership failure. Hogan refers to them as <strong>“the dark side” of leadership</strong>. It’s based on years of research and has been extensively normed and validated.<br /><br />Have you ever been told by someone that you’re “enthusiastic”? They may be telling you you’re too volatile. Or perhaps someone told you they admired your "confidence"? Perhaps a bit of arrogance has seeped out as well.<br />Unfortunately, sensitive behavioral feedback is often disguised as positive traits gone bad. That's why reading between the lines of performance reviews or references is such an art. My favorite has always been "has very high standards of others". Translation: "is always ticked off about coworkers".<br /><br />See the full Hogan HDS list below. <br /><br />Again, these characteristics on the left can all serve us well - in moderation- just don’t get too carrier away with any of them, or your dark side just may show up and bite you in the rear.<br /><br />1. <strong>Excitable</strong>: moody, easily annoyed, hard to please, and emotionally volatile<br /><br />2. <strong>Skeptical</strong>: distrustful, cynical, sensitive to criticism, and focused on the negative<br /><br />3. <strong>Cautious</strong>: unassertive, resistant to change, risk-averse, and slow to make decisions<br /><br />4. <strong>Reserved</strong>: aloof, indifferent to the feelings of others, and uncommunicative<br /><br />5. <strong>Leisurely</strong>: overtly cooperative, but privately irritable, stubborn, and uncooperative<br /><br />6. <strong>Bold</strong>: overly self-confident, arrogant, with inflated feelings of self-worth<br /><br />7. <strong>Mischievous</strong>: charming, risk-taking, limit-testing and excitement-seeking<br /><br />8. <strong>Colorful</strong>: dramatic, attention-seeking, interruptive, and poor listening skills<br /><br />9. <strong>Imaginative</strong>: creative, but thinking and acting in unusual or eccentric ways<br /><br />10. <strong>Diligent</strong>: meticulous, precise, hard to please, and tends to micromanage<br /><br />11. <strong>Dutiful</strong>: eager to please and reluctant to act independently or against popular opinion<br /><br />I’m sure there must be more. Can you think of other strengths that when overused, can flip to the dark side and turn into a "tragic flaw"?<br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-1316230944907433064?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-58223391219148951582010-07-04T20:05:00.000-04:002010-07-04T20:05:58.740-04:00The 4th of July Leadership Development Carnival<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TDEJp7Df-xI/AAAAAAAABSk/8G87iCAK67Y/s1600/liberty2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" rw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TDEJp7Df-xI/AAAAAAAABSk/8G87iCAK67Y/s200/liberty2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Happy <span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">4th of July</span> to all! What a spectacular summer weekend. And here it is, just in time to get out of the hot sun and read some cool leadership development posts. 36 total for this month - enjoy!<br /><br />Over at <a href="http://people-equation.com/">The People Equation</a>, Jennifer V. Miller advocates for “management by asking” in her post “<a href="http://people-equation.com/socrates-on-to-something/">Socrates Was On to Something</a>”: <br /><br />Wally Bock presents <a href="http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2010/06/10/once-upon-a-time.aspx">Once Upon a Time</a> posted at <a href="http://blog.threestarleadership.com/">Three Star Leadership Blog</a>. " Lots of things have changed since I started in business. But the most important thing has stayed the same."<br /><br />Learn how to get the most out of blogs, books, seminars and other resources, whether the subject is management, leadership or any other self-improvement effort, the process for using the information is the same. Miki Saxon presents <a href="http://mappingcompanysuccess.com/2010/06/how-to-improve-your-management-skill/">How to Improve Your Management Skill</a> at <a href="http://mappingcompanysuccess.com/">MAPping Company Success</a>.<br /><br />Managers can't let fear rule their decision making - Sharlyn Lauby presents <a href="http://www.hrbartender.com/2010/employee/handling-workplace-retaliation/">Handling Workplace Retaliation</a> posted at <a href="http://www.hrbartender.com/">HR Bartender</a>. <br /><br />Mary Jo Asmus presents <a href="http://www.aspire-cs.com/7-ways-to-enjoy-others-at-work">7 Ways to Enjoy Others at Work</a> posted at <a href="http://www.aspire-cs.com/">Aspire-CS</a>. <br /><br />Jane Perdue presents <a href="http://lifeloveleadership.blogspot.com/2010/06/lobby-display-of-true-leader-colors.html">A Lobby Display of True Leader Colors</a> posted at <a href="http://lifeloveleadership.blogspot.com/">Get Your Leadership BIG On!</a>. <br /><br />If you want to really understand your culture, take time to understand the underlying rules: spoken and unspoken. Steve Roesler presents <a href="http://www.allthingsworkplace.com/2010/06/want-to-influence-know-the-norms.html">Want to Influence? Know the Norms</a> posted at <a href="http://www.allthingsworkplace.com/">All Things Workplace</a>. <br /><br />Mark Stelzner presents <a href="http://inflexionadvisors.com/blog/2010/06/30/shrm-2010-observations-conclusions/">SHRM 2010: Observations & Conclusions</a> posted at <a href="http://inflexionadvisors.com/blog">Inflexion Point</a>. <br /><br />Alice Snell presents <a href="http://www.taleo.com/talent-management-blog/2010/07/01/public_sector_hiring_reform">Public Sector Hiring Reform</a> posted at <a href="http://www.taleo.com/talent-management-blog">Taleo Blog - Talent Management Solutions</a>. <br /><br />Art Petty presents <a href="http://artpetty.com/2010/06/28/leadership-caffeine-prepare-your-mind-to-conquer-presentation-anxiety/">Leadership Caffeine: Prepare Your Mind to Conquer Presentation Anxiety</a> posted at <a href="http://artpetty.com/">Management Excellence</a>. <br /><br />Kevin W. Grossman presents <a href="http://hrmarketer.blogspot.com/2010/06/valuing-meaningful-work-always-plays_24.html">Valuing meaningful work always plays better to the bottom line.</a> posted at <a href="http://hrmarketer.blogspot.com/">HRmarketer.com Blog</a>. <br /><br />Nothing is more inspiring than a noble purpose. Do you see your work as a "job" or a mission? You will be surprised how easy it is to make your purpose special. Mike Henry Sr. presents <a href="http://leadchangegroup.com/inspiring-purpose/">Inspiring Purpose</a> posted at <a href="http://leadchangegroup.com/">Lead Change Group</a>. <br /><br />Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has built an amazing culture. Most of us can learn a lot from what he did and how he did it. But there is one lesson we should NOT learn from Zappos. Anne Perschel presents <a href="http://germaneconsulting.com/what-not-to-learn-from-zappos/">What NOT to Learn from Zappos</a> posted at <a href="http://germaneconsulting.com/">Germane Insights</a>. <br /><br />Leaders make many decisions each day. What factors do you consider when making decisions? Becky Robinson presents <a href="http://leadertalk.mountainstate.edu/2010/06/factors-in-decision-making-.html">Factors in Decision Making</a> posted at <a href="http://leadertalk.mountainstate.edu/">Mountain State University LeaderTalk</a>. <br /><br />7 useful tips to take leadership repertoire to the next level: Utpal Vaishnav presents <a href="http://utpal.net/blog/2010/06/15/how-to-caffeinate-your-leadership-repertoire/">How To Caffeinate Your Leadership Repertoire?</a> posted at <a href="http://utpal.net/blog">Utpal Writes</a>. <br /><br />A fun post - a poem that links how we work with what we are seeing in the World Cup Football matches. David Zinger presents <a href="http://www.davidzinger.com/working-zingers-work-as-the-world-cup-7943/">Working Zingers: Work as the World Cup</a> posted at <a href="http://www.davidzinger.com/">David Zinger Employee Engagement</a>. <br /><br />There is always friction between a unit and its higher headquarters, no matter the organization. In "Those Idiots Up At HQ," Leader Business examines the firing of General McChrystal from a personal perspective. Tom Magness presents <a href="http://leaderbusiness.blogspot.com/2010/06/those-idiots-up-at-hq.html">Those Idiots Up At HQ</a> posted at <a href="http://leaderbusiness.blogspot.com/">Leader Business</a>. <br /><br />NY Times best selling author, Chuck Martin, shares his Management Tip, Play to your strengths, in this ten minute podcast. Nick McCormick presents <a href="http://begoodventures.com/joeandwanda/?p=569">Play to People?s Strengths</a> posted at <a href="http://begoodventures.com/joeandwanda">Joe and Wanda on Management</a>. <br /><br />With leadership development being defined and implemented differently from business to business, it is often difficult to find or create measurement around LDP programs. In this post I describe 7 approached to measure the leadership programs you create. Benjamin McCall presents <a href="http://rethinkhr.org/2010/07/metrics-of-leadership-7-measurements-of-leadership-development/">Metrics of Leadership: 7 measurements for Leadership Development, </a>at <a href="http://rethinkhr.org/">REThink HR</a>.<br /><br />This post links together England's demise in the World Cup, Boris Groysberg's new book on talent and performance, and whether what applies (may apply) in football / soccer applies in business too. Jon Ingham presents <a href="http://blog.social-advantage.com/2010/06/chasing-stars-and-socialism.html">Chasing Stars and Socialism</a> at <a href="http://blog.social-advantage.com/">Social Advantage</a>.<br /><br />Highlights an eye-opening study which finds that Talent Management systems are gender-biased and talk about what to do about it. Meg Bear presents <a href="http://talentedapps.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/are-your-leadership-competencies-gender-biased/">Are your leadership competencies gender biased?</a> posted at <a href="http://talentedapps.wordpress.com/">TalentedApps</a>. <br /><br />The ultimate motivations comes from knowing who we are and courageously acting upon that knowledge. What will you do in your "moment of truth"? Janna Rust presents <a href="http://blog.purposefulpartnerships.com/2010/06/your-moment-of-truth-what-will-you-choose.html">Purposeful Leadership: Your Moment of Truth: What Will You Choose?</a> posted at <a href="http://blog.purposefulpartnerships.com/">Purposeful Leadership</a>.<br /><br />Laura Schroeder presents <a href="http://ls-workgirl.blogspot.com/2010/06/is-attrition-key-component-of-retention.html">Is Attrition a Key Component of Retention?</a> posted at <a href="http://ls-workgirl.blogspot.com/">Working Girl</a>. <br /><br />Anna Farmery presents <a href="http://theengagingbrand.typepad.com/the_engaging_brand_/2010/06/the-life-cycle-of-thinking.html">The Life Cycle of Thinking</a> posted at <a href="http://theengagingbrand.typepad.com/the_engaging_brand_/">The Engaging Brand</a>. <br /><br />Many managers don't trust that their systems hire and keep people that will make good decisions. They "solve" this problem by giving staff no authority, which isn't a solution. John Hunter presents <a href="http://management.curiouscatblog.net/2010/06/22/trust-your-staff-to-make-decisions/">Trust Your Staff to Make Decisions</a> posted at <a href="http://management.curiouscatblog.net/">Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog</a>. <br /><br />Research from i4cp/AMA reveal four key practices all companies should follow when developing global leaders. Erik Samdahl presents <a href="http://www.i4cp.com/trendwatchers/2010/06/16/four-key-practices-for-developing-global-leaders">Four Key Practices for Developing Global Leaders</a> posted at <a href="http://www.i4cp.com/productivity-blog/">Productivity Blog</a>. <br /><br />Michael Lee Stallard presents <a href="http://www.michaelleestallard.com/marshall-not-mcchrystal-should-be-role-model-for-military-leaders">The Need to Respect Legitimate Authority and One's Colleagues</a> posted at <a href="http://www.michaelleestallard.com/">Michael Lee Stallard</a>. <br /><br />Nissim Ziv presents <a href="http://www.job-interview-site.com/problem-solving-interview-questions-and-answers.html">Problem Solving Interview</a> posted at <a href="http://www.job-interview-site.com/">Job Interview & Career Guide</a>. <br /><br />There are lessons we can all learn from General Stanley McChrystal's recent resignation. Sometimes choosing our words wisely is more important than sharing opinions. Kathy C presents <a href="http://www.thethrivingsmallbusiness.com/articles/lessons-learned-from-general-stanley-mcchrystal/">Lessons Learned from General Stanley McChrystal</a> posted at <a href="http://www.thethrivingsmallbusiness.com/articles">The Thriving Small Business</a>. <br /><br />Wise Bread presents <a href="http://www.wisebread.com/freedom-from-the-day-job">Freedom From the Day Job</a> posted at <a href="http://www.wisebread.com/">Wisebread</a>. <br /><br />This post speaks of reducing the clutter in Leadership and Learning & keeping things simple. Dominic Rajesh presents <a href="http://domsownblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/clutter-free-learning-and-leadership.html">Clutter-free Learning and Leadership</a> posted at <a href="http://domsownblog.blogspot.com/">Dom's Blog ...</a>. <br /><br />Bob Lieberman presents <a href="http://www.cultivatingcreativity.net/2010/02/gas.html">Gas!</a> posted at <a href="http://www.cultivatingcreativity.net/">Cultivating Creativity – Leadership Development for the Creative Economy</a>. <br /><br />Eliminating negative has a greater impact than accentuated positive. The challenge is to eliminate the negative in a way that does not create more negative. Michael Cardus presents <a href="http://create-learning.com/blog/manager-training/eliminating-negative-to-increase-positive">Eliminating Negative to Increase Positive</a> posted at <a href="http://create-learning.com/blog">Create-Learning Team Building & Leadership Blog</a>. <br /><br />Friso presents <a href="http://everyonecanmanage.com/2010/06/an-introduction-to-corporate-performance-management/">An introduction to Corporate Performance Management | Everyone can manage</a> posted at <a href="http://everyonecanmanage.com/">Everyone can Manage</a>. <br /><br />This post talks about how to manage others successfully in a nonprofit setting. But it can be applied to any business. Mazarine presents <a href="http://www.wildwomanfundraising.com/advanced-fundraising-managing/">Wild Woman Fundraising Advanced Fundraising: Managing Others</a> posted at <a href="http://www.wildwomanfundraising.com/">Wild Woman Fundraising</a>. <br /><br />Bauhinia Solutions presents <a href="http://www.bauhiniasolutions.com/2010/06/the-benefits-of-coaching/">The Benefits of Coaching</a> posted at <a href="http://www.bauhiniasolutions.com/">Bauhinia Solutions</a>. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TDEhmRtxG4I/AAAAAAAABSs/CVYDfIXsfZ8/s1600/4th_of_july.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" rw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TDEhmRtxG4I/AAAAAAAABSs/CVYDfIXsfZ8/s200/4th_of_july.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>That’s it for this month’s edition. <br /><br />Jason Seiden is hosting the next one - August 1st – over at <a href="http://jasonseiden.com/blog/">Fail Spectacularly</a>. <br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-5822339121914895158?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-71534392311802388312010-07-01T19:44:00.000-04:002010-07-01T19:44:32.114-04:00Which Kind of Team Member is the Most Challenging to Lead? (and what to do about it)<a href="http://www.smartbrief.com/leadership/">SmartBrief on Leadership</a> recently posed an interesting "SmartPulse" question to its readers:<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">“Which kind of team member is the most challenging to lead?"</span><br /><br />Here's the results (along with some advice from consultant Mike Figliuolo): <br /><br />__________________________________________________________________________<br /><strong><span style="color: purple;">1. The poor performer who brings others around them down: 45.49% </span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color: purple;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="color: purple;">2. The solid contributor who lacks motivation to grow: 24.28% </span></strong><br /><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span><strong><span style="color: purple;">3. The poor performer who genuinely wants to improve but can't seem to do so: 18.49% </span></strong><br /><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span><strong><span style="color: purple;">4. The high performer who is rapidly rising: 11.74% </span></strong><br /><br /><em>"Three-quarters of you indicate the most challenging folks are those who lack motivation. Here's my challenge to you as leaders: It's YOUR job as their leader to create that motivation. Your task is to find that which deeply inspires and challenges them and unleash it. Get to know their deepest desires and figure out how to link their work to the achievement of those personal goals. I hate to say it, but the motivation that's lacking in these hard-to-lead folks points to the heart of what leadership is: inspiring others</em> <em>to do great work because they want to."</em> --<strong>Mike Figliuolo, managing director of ThoughtLEADERS LLC</strong><br />______________________________________________________________________________<br /><br /><br />I feel like the poll results leaves leaders hanging, as it begs the question (to me at least) – “OK, so what?”<br /><br />I’d like to offer SmartBrief readers a little more advice on how to lead these four team members:<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: black;">1. The poor performer who brings others around them down: 45.49% </span></strong><br />I can understand why 64% of readers picked dealing with poor performers as their biggest leadership challenge. Raising individuals and team performance from poor to acceptable or from good to great is indeed the essence of great leadership. <br /><br />With all due respect to Mike (and I have a lot), ALL poor performers are not the result of a leader’s inability to motivate. No matter how hard you try, you’re never going to motivate a pig to fly. You’re only going to waste a lot of time and energy (at the expense of your solid and high performers), and you’ll probably just frustrate and irritate the pig as well.<br /><br />There will be times when a leader, after having tried all other options (appealing to someone’s internal motivation, incentives, punishment, training, coaching, clarifying expectation, etc, etc, etc,) just needs to make the tough call. <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2008/12/real-leaders-fire-underperformers.html">Firing a poor performer</a> is gut-wrenching and hard. That’s one of the reasons <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2009/07/three-questions-for-potential-managers.html">management is not for everyone.</a><br /><br />However, <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2009/12/cowardly-managers-guide-to-dealing-with.html">inaction or dragging out a situation</a> will only prolong the pain of the poor performer. And yes, if a team has the perception that a manager is oblivious or not concerned about poor performance, it can drag down the performance of the rest of the team.<br /><br />One of the biggest mistakes new leaders make is thinking they can turn around every team member they inherit. Most of them will tell you in retrospect, they took way too long to take action. 90 days is usually long enough to asses a team and determine who belongs on the bus.<br /><br />My advice: If you have a poor performer that’s dragging down the performance of your entire team, get with <a href="http://www.hrbartender.com/">your HR rep</a> ASAP. Follow an accelerated progressive discipline process. Be fair, consistent, and respectful, and you shouldn’t have any regrets.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: orange;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;">2. The poor performer who genuinely wants to improve but can't seem to do so: 18.49%</span> </span></span></strong><br />I'm taking these out of order because this scenario is similar to the first one, in that they both are about dealing with a poor performer. However, not all poor performers should be treated the same.An employee that’s underperforming BUT has tenure, a great attitude, gets along well with co-workers, and is really trying their hardest deserves more attention, more training and coaching, and a little more time to improve. However, at the end of the day, it’s still all about performance and meeting the expectations of the job. The days of creating busy work and watering down jobs to accommodate “nice” but incapable employees ended sometime back in the 1980s. <br /><br />As a manager, I’ve found these scenarios to the most difficult, but, they <em>can</em> have a happy ending. It’s often possible to find another role, either internal or external, that may be a better fit for the employee’s strengths. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not suggesting passing off a poor performer to some unsuspecting manager. It’s about truly finding a legitimate better fit for a good employee.<br /><br />Again, work with <a href="http://www.lisarosendahl.com/">your HR rep</a>, however, instead of heading down a just a disciplinary path, try to find an alternate path for the employee in the form of another role.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: black;">3. The solid contributor who lacks motivation to grow: 24.28% </span></strong><br />This one’s actually not a bad leadership challenge. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with solid contributors. <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2008/02/leadership-development-for-b-players.html">Those “B players”</a> are the lifeblood of most organizations – we need them and should figure out ways to thank them, motivate them, hug them, and retain them every day.<br /><br />After all, not everyone wants to move up or get promoted. Some people love what they do and don’t want to do anything else – they’ve found career nirvana.<br /><br />However – if “lacks motivation to grow” was interpreted as “doesn’t want to keep their skills up to date” – then THAT’S a problem. They may be a solid contributor today – but if they don’t have the desire to continuously stay current in their field and build the skills needed to compete, they’ll soon no longer be a solid performer. Sometimes, a manager needs to have the tough conversation and spell this out to an employee. If not, you’re doing that employee an enormous disservice and setting them up for failure.<br /><br /><span style="color: black;"><strong>4. The high performer who is rapidly rising.</strong> </span><br />11.74% say leading this kind of team member as their biggest challenge?! REALLY?! <br /><br />Maybe there’s a stereotype that a high flyer is spoiled, demanding, overly ambitious, etc… While that may be true for some (and I would argue that if it is, that’s not really a high performer), the majority of successful, high potential employees are the most rewarding to lead. <br /><br />I sometimes find that insecure managers might find it challenging – because they feel threatened – but that’s not the norm.<br /><br />For the most part, leading a high flyer is one of the most rewarding aspects of leadership. It’s fun to challenge, stretch, coach, mentor, and learn from them. For more on leading high potentials, read <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2010/06/view-from-inside-leadership-pipeline.html">this</a> and <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2008/01/leadership-development-for-players.html">this</a>.<br /><br />How about you? Who are your most challenging employees to lead? <br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-7153439231180238831?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-75280653488079686242010-06-28T07:00:00.050-04:002010-06-28T07:00:13.982-04:00What Training Providers Look for When Working With Customers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TCfqIt7xDlI/AAAAAAAABSc/__-2Z2WzJnM/s1600/Sharon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" ru="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TCfqIt7xDlI/AAAAAAAABSc/__-2Z2WzJnM/s200/Sharon.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Here's a guest post from <strong>Sharon Daniels</strong>, president and chief executive officer for <a href="http://www.achieveglobal.com/">AchieveGlobal</a>, a training and business consultancy:<br /><br /><em>Today, I am exchanging guest blog posts with Dan McCarthy. Together, we are looking at what training providers and customers look for when partnering with one another. I’m a big fan of Dan’s blog, and we thought it would be fun to share insights from both perspectives.</em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Below, you’ll find some of my thoughts from a training provider’s perspective and, on <a href="http://blog.achieveglobal.com/">AchieveGlobal’s company blog</a>, Dan has included insights from a customer’s standpoint. Whether you’re a training customer or provider, please feel free to weigh in and add your thoughts either here or on our blog. We hope both provide insights you’ll find helpful in your next partnership so both providers and customers can be successful. </em><br /><br />I’ve seen that good training sessions rely on more than able coaches. Whether training “takes” sometimes depends on the mindset of the customer. From the standpoint of training providers, here are five things that make customers as prepared as possible for an effective training session or training initiative: <br /><br /><strong>NO . 1: CHALLENGE CURRENT THINKING</strong><br />Customers must be prepared to tackle the status quo. “The way we’ve always done it” attitude must be kicked to the curb and recycled like yesterday’s Red Bull can. Clinging to old ways because they’re comforting does not propel an organization. It holds it back, potentially creating blind spots. <br /><br />Stopping to ask, “Why do we do it that way?” should elicit a thoughtful reply underscored by a business objective. For instance, stopping to consider why a retail sales associate asks for a customer’s e-mail address should track back to a defined objective – like opening a channel for future discounts that would encourage customer loyalty. The best organizations will challenge not only industry thinking but their own. Cutting against the grain drives <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2010/06/21/sf-and-silicon-valley-drop-the-incrementalism-and-.aspx">true innovation</a>.<br /><br /><strong>No. 2: COLLABORATE WILLINGLY, NOT GRUDINGLY</strong> <br />The best training isn’t cut out from a template but instead is shaped with the input of the customer. <a href="http://www.humanresourcesmagazine.com.au/articles/7A/0C043E7A.asp?Type=6">Collaboration</a> between the training recipient and training provider influences success more than any other factor. Everyone involved – from both the training recipient and training provider side – should be completely clear about the organization’s employee value proposition – loosely, the brand as seen through the eyes of the employees and brought to life by the rewards they receive in return for high performance. <br /><br />Sharing the employee value proposition, the desired behavior and the performance results are a crucial state of collaboration that will help guide a successful training partnership. The trainer will be most successful if he or she knows an organization’s overall business strategy so that a curriculum can be taught that directly supports the desired outcome. Training must support the core strategy of an organization.<br /><br /><strong>No. 3 REGARD TRAINING AS BOTH SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM INVESTMENT</strong><br />Training impacts performance throughout an employee’s tenure with an organization, providing momentum at the beginning and wisdom at the end. Seen this way, training becomes more than a short-term fix. It is also a long-term investment. Implemented strategically, training gives employees the immediate necessary skills <em>and</em> a structure to grow as their needs, and those of the company, change.<br /><br />Specifically, a thoughtful on-boarding process that properly reflects an employee value proposition helps prevent new staff from experiencing buyer’s remorse about joining an organization. And over time, a rich development program helps talented performers gravitate toward key organizational resources, stay well-connected with knowledge networks and exposed to the full range of activities, such as managing larger groups, launching major initiatives and leading critical turn-arounds.<br /><br /><strong>No. 4 FOCUS ON RESULTS-ORIENTED CULTURE, NOT ONGOING COSTS</strong><br />In some cases, managers are concerned about the training investment – perhaps weighing whether the cost of instruction will impact, say, a sales call. But, isn’t it worth it to make the call as successful as possible? You’re talking about improving the effectiveness of your people, so the return is there. <a href="http://philanthropy.com/article/Head-of-National-Service/65166/">The impact</a> is what matters. Beyond a dollar value, concrete statistics that come with learning and development programs offer a predictive value: they show how and why staff demonstrated a concept learned from training. As companies evaluate their options, they’ll find that the best programs have measurements built in.<br /><br />When creating a leadership program, organizations should work with their training partners to determine what type of measurements should be tracked. Flexibility of this kind ensures that business results are the primary goal of leadership training. With more sophisticated monitoring – the kind that is benchmarked against peers – a company can accurately gauge progress against both business objectives and training goals. Measurement helps organizations answer the most basic question: Did the leadership program work?<br /><br /><strong>No. 5 MODEL SKILLS THROUGH BEHAVIORS OF SENIOR LEADERS</strong><br />At the conclusion of training, the motto from senior leaders can’t be do as a I say, not as I do. It must be quite the opposite. At best, those actions will be labeled unconvincing, at worst, lampooned as hypocritical. The best results are achieved when key leadership is involved throughout training, from inception and beyond. Especially at a time when the economy is vulnerable, leaders who demonstrate skills and behaviors reinforced in training emphasizes its worth to employees. No memo can communicate that point as crisply as action.<br /><br /><em>Sharon Daniels is CEO of <a href="http://www.achieveglobal.com/">AchieveGlobal</a>, a world leader in providing exceptional interpersonal business skills, giving companies the workforce they need for business results. Located in more than 40 countries, AchieveGlobal offers multilanguage, learning based solutions - globally, regionally and locally.</em><br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-7528065348807968624?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-2302154790788216252010-06-25T15:06:00.001-04:002010-06-25T15:06:06.211-04:00How to Onboard a New Manager<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TCT8kK__FgI/AAAAAAAABSM/t4GcSe3qK0Y/s1600/welcome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ru="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TCT8kK__FgI/AAAAAAAABSM/t4GcSe3qK0Y/s200/welcome.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>We all know how important it is to provide new hire employees with a good onboarding experience. Proper onboarding helps improve ramp-up time, productivity, moral, and retention.<br /><br />However – what about onboarding a newly promoted manager? Unfortunately, a lot of companies probably don’t pay as much, if any, attention to this. The “onboarding” process is more of a coronation – “I now anoint you manager – good luck!”<br /><br />It doesn’t have to be that way. Stepping into a manager role for the first time isn’t just an extension of the same job with a new title – it’s a brand new job, and should be treated like one.<br /><br />The goal of new manager onboarding is to speed up the time from clueless to proficiency. Let’s face it, every new manager is going to make mistakes – we all did. A good approach to onboarding can help minimize the duration and impact of that challenging learning curve.<br /><br />Here are <strong>10 ways to help onboard a new manager:</strong><br /><br /><strong>1. Start the learning process well before the promotion.</strong><br />As soon as someone expresses an interested in management and has the potential, the development process should start. A manager of these “management candidates” can begin teaching and providing experiences (shadowing, running a team meeting, interviewing, budgeting) that can provide valuable exposure to the role and begin to prepare for possible promotion.<br /><br /><strong>2. A peer mentor.</strong><br />Help the newly promoted manager find a peer mentor, or “buddy” - someone who can help advise and provide support, at least for the first 6-12 months.<br /><br /><strong>3. Help form an “advisory board”.</strong><br />The new manager should have a number of subject matter experts and experienced peers, inside and outside of the organization, that act as an informal, virtual panel of advisers. <br />Some companies have begun to use web 2.0 capabilities to encourage this user generated best practice sharing and peer community building.<br /><br /><strong>4. The new manager’s manager as coach.</strong><br />A lot of managers become very hands off when it comes to coaching and teaching their direct report managers. While it’s true the amount of hand holding tends to decrease the higher you move in an organization, first time managers require and should get a lot of their manager’s time and attention. Unfortunately, a lot of mid-managers aren’t very good at coaching managers.<br /><br /><strong>5. Management training.</strong><br />Again, a lot of companies don’t provide training (internal or external) to new managers. BIG mistake. If I had to prioritize where to spend my limited management development resources, it would be for the new first level manager. That’s the point in a manager’s career where they going to be the most open to learning, and where you can begin to develop a foundation of good habits and skill.<br /><br /><strong>6. HR outreach.</strong><br />HR should personally reach out to every new manager and introduce themselves as a resource. I’m not talking about a 3 day course in all things HR (EEO, hiring, discipline, performance appraisal). The problem with those HR-centric immersion programs is that a new manager is going to forget 90% of what’s being shoveled at them. They aren’t going to need to know how to hire someone until they actually have to do it, which might only be every 2-3 years. <br />An outreach call should only be about 30-45 minutes, to show the new manager where they can find resources and who to call if they run into an issue or need advice. They should know when to call HR, i.e., the first sign of a union card, before you discipline an employee, when they need to hire someone, if they have a benefit question, or before they do anything insanely stupid. <br /><br /><strong>7. Provide mandatory compliance training.</strong><br />This is the training that every manager needs to take to reduce your company’s legal liability, most of what can be covered with online self-study training.<br /><br /><strong>8. Provide a coach.</strong><br />I realize not all companies or individuals can afford to hire an external coach. Many companies only do this for their newly promoted or hired executives.<br />Some companies have started internal coaching programs, where they train pools of volunteer coaches. This has proven to be very cost effective, and provides great development for the coaches as well.<br /><br /><strong>9. New manager integration process.</strong><br />Have a trainer, HR person, or a coach help you conduct a <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2008/01/new-leader-integration-process.html">new manager integration process</a>. It’s a great way for a team to get to know their manager, build trust, and establish mutual expectations.<br /><br /><strong>10. Provide 1-2 good books.</strong><br />For newly promoted managers, I’d recommend:<br />1. Michael Watkin’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/First-90-Days-Critical-Strategies/dp/1591391105?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><em>The First 90 Days</em></a><em><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1591391105" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></em><br />2. Marshall Goldsmith’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Got-Here-Wont-There/dp/1401301304?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank"><em>What Got You Here </em></a><em><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1401301304" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></em><em>Won’t Get You There</em><br />3. Scott Eblin’s <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Next-Level-Insiders-Executive-Success/dp/0891061932?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">The Next Level</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0891061932" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></em><br />4. Wally Bock’s <em><a href="http://www.threestarleadership.com/supervisorsupportkit/">Working Supervisor’s Toolkit</a></em><br />5. Art Petty’s <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Lessons-Leadership-Guidebook-Experienced/dp/1425122493?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Practical Lessons in Leadership</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1425122493" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></em><br />6. John Baldoni’s <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lead-Example-Leaders-Inspire-Results/dp/0814412947?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Lead By Example</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0814412947" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /></em><br />7. PDI’s <em>Successful Manager’s Handbook</em><br />8. Lominger’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/FYI-Improvement-Learners-Managers-Feedback/dp/1933578173?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">For Your Improvement FYI</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=1933578173" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px! important; padding-left: 0px! important; padding-right: 0px! important; padding-top: 0px! important;" width="1" /><br /><br />How about you? Any other ideas on onboarding new managers?<br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-230215479078821625?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630868552763441178.post-74307342211021973002010-06-20T06:16:00.000-04:002010-06-20T06:16:14.813-04:008 Ways to Create an “A Team”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TB3khrlv70I/AAAAAAAABSE/Vl2QkpAndsg/s1600/the-a-team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_paumzbEvkQ4/TB3khrlv70I/AAAAAAAABSE/Vl2QkpAndsg/s200/the-a-team.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><em>'Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing."</em><br /><em>- Vince Lombardi </em><br /><br />How would others describe the performance of your team? Would they refer to your team “the A team”? Or are they compared to the <a href="http://www.forbes.com/2010/05/25/pro-sports-losing-lifestyle-sport-teams-basketball-football_slide_12.html">Los Angeles Clippers</a> (winning percentage: .362)?<br /><br />In either case, here are 8 things you can do to boost the performance of your team:<br /><br /><strong>1. Invest in your team’s development.</strong><br />It makes me want to set my hair on fire when I hear about a manager who doesn’t think there’s enough time or money for training and development. With that attitude, in the long run, you’ll end up with an underdeveloped and under performing team and probably out of a job. Taking the time to coach, train, mentor, and stretch your employees may cost you in the short term, but you’ll get a long term payback that’s well worth it. <br />Start by sitting down with every employee and creating <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2008/11/how-to-write-great-individual.html">a development plan</a>. <br /><br /><strong>2. Pick A players and onboard them.</strong><br />When and if you have the opportunity to hire, <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2008/01/10-most-serious-hiring-mistakes-and-how.html">don’t cut corners</a> or lower your standards during the selection process. Use a rigorous and proven process for selection interviewing and assessment. Then, when you do make that hire, put the same amount of rigor and effort into the onboarding process. Onboarding isn’t just handing a new employee over to HR and giving them a training manual. It’s about taking to time to teach, assimilate, set them up for continuous success. <br /><br /><strong>3. Walk the talk – be a role model.</strong><br />So you’re going to raise the bar and set high standards? You’d better start by taking a good look in the mirror and evaluating your own performance, work habits, and leadership skills. The best leaders are always working on 2-3 things they want to get better at, and they are very open about admitting it. It set’s an example for performance excellence and continuous improvement. <br /><br /><strong>4. Provide meaningful work.</strong><br />It’s every leader’s obligation to their team to make sure they are doing value-added, meaningful work. Take a look at the work your team is doing get rid of the stuff that just doesn’t matter. When employees have a sense of meaning, purpose, and passion around the work they do, you can’t hold them back - they will do extraordinary things.<br /><br /><strong>5. Make sure they have clear goals and expectations.</strong><br />Provide your team with clear direction in the form of a vision, mission, and goals, and make sure every team member has individual goals and clear expectations. It’s a proven fact – goal setting works – it drives higher achievement. Having clear expectations and providing regular feedback ensure that employees are doing the right things right.<br /><br /><strong>6. Create a motivating environment.</strong><br />Right – so how? Start by:<br />- delegating (or empowering), providing support<br />- removing obstacles<br />- providing meaningful recognition<br />- and having a little fun now and then.<br />I can walk into any office or building, or sit in on any meeting, and in less than an hour tell if the environment is motivating or not – you can smell it, see it, feel it, and hear it. If you can’t tell, then invite in someone who can and be open to their feedback.<br /><br /><strong>7. Do an honest assessment of your team.</strong><br /><a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2007/11/using-performance-and-potential-matrix.html">Use a 9 box performance and potential matrix</a> to assess your team’s performance and potential. Or, stack rank your team from highest to lowest performer. Is there someone on your team that you’ve been working around for years, but just haven’t wanted to admit it or take action? Maybe it’s time to – because chances are everyone else has noticed it. One of the worst things a leader can do is what they don’t do – that is, they don’t <a href="http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2008/12/real-leaders-fire-underperformers.html">take action on poor performers</a>. It lowers morale of the rest of the team, lowers your team’s overall performance, and while you think you might be humane, you’re actually doing that poor performer a disservice. You owe it to that person to get them out of a role where they can’t be successful and help them find something where they can be.<br /><br /><strong>8. Create a team.</strong><br />Build your team – create your vision, mission, goals, and expectations together. Do behavioral assessments and share the results, so that everyone can understand, appreciate, and learn to work with different styles. If you’re not sure how, try Patrick Lencioni’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Five-Dysfunctions-Team-Facilitators/dp/0787976377?ie=UTF8&tag=greatleadership-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Five Dysfunctions of a Team</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=greatleadership-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0787976377" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px !important; padding-left: 0px !important; padding-right: 0px !important; padding-top: 0px !important;" width="1" />, or get someone to help you that does.<br /><br />No team will ever be perfect, there’s always room for improvement, and it’s a never-ending journey. <br /><br />The best leaders are always looking to take their team to the next level – they are never satisfied. They know that people like playing on a winning team, and it’s their role to put them in a position to win. <br /><br /><script src="http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js" type="text/javascript"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5630868552763441178-7430734221102197300?l=www.greatleadershipbydan.com' alt='' /></div>Dan McCarthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634914124037453298noreply@blogger.com9
Movin' On Uptag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-12806342010-09-10T11:00:26-05:00The Express Employment Professionals Job BlogTypePadMovinOnUphttp://feedburner.google.com8 Tips to a Job Interview over Lunch or Dinner tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834723d7269e20133f413edc4970b2010-09-10T11:00:26-05:002010-09-10T11:19:02-05:00At some point in your job search or career, you may be invited to a job interview over breakfast, lunch, or dinner. While meal times are usually relaxing and entertaining, business-related dining for a job interview is more professional and...IBK
At some point in your job search or career, you may be invited to a job interview over breakfast, lunch, or dinner. While meal times are usually relaxing and entertaining, business-related dining for a job interview is more professional and employers use the opportunity to test an applicant’s social skills. If you’re nervous about attending a job interview over lunch or dinner, don’t panic. Use these tips to help improve your dining etiquette and get the job.
Arrive early. Many lunch interviews will take place during office hours, so interviewers may be pressed for time to get back to the office. Be respectful of their time and show up when expected.
Dress appropriately. Even though you might be in a casual restaurant, be sure to dress appropriately for the interview. For instance, you might wear a suit if you’re applying for a more professional job or a nice pair of slacks if it’s an industrial job. Depending on what kind of job you’re applying for, make sure you find out what is appropriate for that specific field.
Turn off cell phone. You’re making a first impression from the minute you step into the restaurant. Stay focused on why you’re there. To avoid possible distractions while dining, it’s best to leave your cell phone in the car during an interview. If you’re expecting an emergency phone call, be cautious and let your host know in advance. If you must take your phone with you, put it on silent.
Make conversation. Prior to your interview, gather as much information as you can and talk with the interviewer about what you know about their company and their job. It’s easy to get nervous during an interview, but don’t let that prevent you from being conversational. Chat with your interviewer as you’re ordering your food.
Use good manners. Be sure to sit up straight and engage yourself with your surroundings. Don’t slouch on the table. Since it’s an interview, you’re going to get a lot of questions so avoid talking with a mouth full of food. Also, avoid ordering food like spaghetti or lobster so you don’t make a mess, and remember to keep your elbows off the table.
Follow the interviewers lead. Mirror the body language of your host. If they lean forward, do so too. Also, follow their lead when ordering your food. Stay within the price range of your host, but if your host asks you to go ahead and order first, pick something that isn’t too expensive. Also, be sure to make your food choice quickly. Don’t spend a lot of time trying to decide what you want to order. Remember the reason you’re there is to interview, not to hang out with friends.
Be polite. Don’t be rude to a server or restaurant staff because it will reflect badly on you. Don’t forget your host is watchful of your behavior so be sure to say please and thank you when necessary. Send a follow-up thank-you note. In a situation where you and other candidates may possess equal qualifications for a job, a thank-you note can be used as a tie breaker. So, after your lunch or dinner, be sure to follow up with a thank-you note.
Most interviews conducted during a breakfast, lunch, or dinner setting are a little different than being in the interviewer’s office. These interviews can reveal your social skills and how you act in situations other than the business environment. Remember that confidence goes a long way in every interview so be sure to smile and maintain eye contact when necessary. Relax, enjoy the food and company, and show potential employers that you’re the perfect match for the position you’re interviewing for.
http://blog.expresspersonnel.com/movinonup/2010/09/8-tips-to-a-job-interview-over-lunch-or-dinner-.htmlMy Entry-Level Life: That's a Wrap!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834723d7269e20133f3f29e87970b2010-09-07T16:34:45-05:002010-09-07T16:34:45-05:00We hope you’ve enjoyed the series on My Entry-Level Life. You’ve gotten some valuable information to help you with your job search. My Entry-Level Life covered the basics of how to interview, create and update your résumé, dress for success,...Miranda Wilson
We hope you’ve enjoyed the series on My Entry-Level Life. You’ve gotten some valuable information to help you with your job search. My Entry-Level Life covered the basics of how to interview, create and update your résumé, dress for success, handle office politics, schedule meetings, and much more. Whether you’re looking for an internship, your first full-time job, or you’re switching industries to start a brand new career, you can always reference the great tips and advice this series covered.
Do you have success stories to share about an entry-level job you had this summer? We would like to hear them!
Also, be on the lookout for our upcoming series, Résumé Boot Camp: Tips to help you whip your résumé into shape.
http://blog.expresspersonnel.com/movinonup/2010/09/my-entry-level-life-thats-a-wrap.htmlMaking the Switch - 5 Tips for Changing Careerstag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834723d7269e2013486c1714e970c2010-09-03T09:32:43-05:002010-09-03T09:32:43-05:00Maybe you’re bored with your current job or you have just started to lose interest in it. Perhaps you’re looking for a job where you can make a difference in someone’s life or you want a job that allows you...IBK
Maybe you’re bored with your current job or you have just started to lose interest in it. Perhaps you’re looking for a job where you can make a difference in someone’s life or you want a job that allows you a more flexible schedule. It’s very common for people to want to change careers or industries at some point in their lives. But, changing careers can be nerve-racking. To help relieve anxiety and frustration, follow these tips to make your career change a smooth transition.
Evaluate your current situation: What’s your reason for wanting to switch careers? Are you looking for a more challenging job? Or, are you just looking to get a better paycheck? Whatever your reasoning, before making a change, be aware of what is at stake and what you have to gain from a career move. Determine if your reasons for leaving could easily be solved. If you’re bored, talk with your boss to see if you can take on some more interesting projects. If you don’t think there’s growth opportunity at your current job, ask about career pathing to make sure you know your options. Then, if you’re still ready to move on, research the industry. If the benefits outweigh the negatives, it may be a good time to move on.
Researching new careers: Researching careers is a very crucial part of deciding to change careers because it will help you understand the ins and outs of your chosen field, and also help you realize what you’re getting into. Before making this important decision, find out everything you can about your desired career move. Things to find out include; salary range information, job opportunities in your area, and working conditions. If you don’t want to relocate, you want to make sure your area has growth opportunity for the industry you’re interested in. You can also check the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook for more career information. Doing research ahead of time will prepare you for what to expect and help prevent any unwanted surprises after you enter your new industry.
Get the training you need: Be aware that a career change may require you to get additional training. The training may require just taking a few classes by getting a brand new degree. It’s important to always seek new ways to grow your knowledge and skill set when it comes to today’s job market. This will make you more competitive, as well as an overall better employee.
Network with industry leaders: The people you network with may be able to give you job offers or advice. Find out about the networking organizations and associations relating to your industry and get involved. Seek out individuals who are experts in the field you want to go into. And, talking with people in your field of interest could help you decide if it is something you’re really interested in.
Find a mentor: Mentoring is important for most professions, but it’s especially important when you are new to a profession. A mentor will serve as a guide and will offer you the direction and coaching you need when first starting out. You can shadow them to learn the ropes of your new job or just gain insight into what you want to do in a career. A mentor can be a great resource of information for any questions you might have. Find someone who has experience in the field you are looking to enter. It can be anyone from a boss to a co-worker to a former professor.
Changing careers can help you to learn new things and expand your skills. But it’s also a big decision and one that can be scary. It is important to take your time to carefully think about your choices and what you want to do. The extra time and research will help you to find the job you really enjoy.
http://blog.expresspersonnel.com/movinonup/2010/09/making-the-switch-5-tips-for-changing-careers.htmlTouchdown with a Bad Boss Contest Finalists - Let the Voting Begin!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834723d7269e2013486a8d05b970c2010-09-02T09:29:42-05:002010-09-02T10:05:27-05:00We've heard a lot of stories about some bad bosses, and now it's time to choose a winner for the Touchdown with a Bad Boss contest. Who will it be? Voting begins today and closes on Friday, Sept. 10, at...Miranda Wilson
We've heard a lot of stories about some bad bosses, and now it's time to choose a winner for the Touchdown with a Bad Boss contest. Who will it be? Voting begins today and closes on Friday, Sept. 10, at 2 p.m. CDT.
Review the top 12 finalists and get your vote in today for your favorite. The winner will receive a football victory package, which includes: a 40-inch LCD TV, a $100 Visa gift card, and a tailgate party gift basket. Good luck to all our finalists and thanks to all who participated!
Voting rules: Limit one vote entry per person per 24-hour period. Multiple votes from the same IP address within a 24-hour period will be considered "voting fraud" and all duplicate vote entries will be disqualified. For more information, see the complete contest rules.
http://blog.expresspersonnel.com/movinonup/2010/09/touchdown-with-a-bad-boss-contest-finalists-let-the-voting-begin.htmlTouchdown with a Bad Boss - Week 4tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834723d7269e2013486a1e8e2970c2010-09-01T17:03:54-05:002010-09-02T14:14:12-05:00Here are the final bad boss solutions for week four of our Touchdown with a Bad Boss contest! Voting will now begin to determine the favorite story of the 12. The person who receives the most votes will win the...Miranda Wilson
Here are the final bad boss solutions for week four of our Touchdown with a Bad Boss contest! Voting will now begin to determine the favorite story of the 12. The person who receives the most votes will win the grand prize. Learn more about this contest.
The Power of HR Tracey's company was rolling out a new program when she noticed it being communicated to clients before the staff. She brought this to her manager’s attention and was instructed that it wasn’t a primary program and didn’t need to be communicated to the staff. Shortly afterwards, her manager apologized for her curt response; however an hour after that, Tracey received a formal write-up for presenting this oversight to her manager. The situation continued to escalate as Tracey was unable to communicate with her boss or receive support from the vice president of her area. Tracey then chose to seek the help of her human resources (HR) department to resolve the situation. Throughout the process, Tracey continued to work with the HR department to improve the relationship with her manager. It is a great idea to seek the advice of your HR department when warranted. Everyone has an expertise in the workplace, and HR’s is the employee-employer relationship.
Family Intervention Charlie’s boss was known for disappearing from the office when the going got tough, which left the decision making in the hands of his employees. Then, when things went wrong, he would promptly blame the employees for making decisions without him. This went on until a position came open within the company. Recalling that the boss’ wife was looking for work, Charlie called her up and suggested she apply. She was hired, and as it turned out, the boss stopped disappearing. Apparently he would rather stay at work and make decisions than explain to his wife, whose office was just down the hall, why he was leaving work!
Perseverance Pays Off One morning, Clarence went to work and found that everything had changed. His immediate supervisor had unexpectedly passed away, leaving a void in the company’s leadership. As corporate worked to fill the empty position, they asked Clarence to take on the extra responsibilities for a while, which he gladly did. A few months later, when a new manager was brought on board, everyone was excited to return to normal. However, the leader proved to be incompetent, causing chaos and resulting in poor performance. Clarence tried to communicate the problems to upper management, but no actions were taken. A year went by and nothing changed. But, Clarence stayed focused on what he could affect. He worked to change what he could and he made sure to offer solutions when problems arose. Finally, the truth came out and leadership changes were made. No one got a raise or a medal, but Clarence had the satisfaction of knowing he handled the situation well. “Every person in the chain has responsibilities,” Clarence said, “and how you handle those duties will be ultimately revealed, good or bad.”
http://blog.expresspersonnel.com/movinonup/2010/09/touchdown-with-a-bad-boss-week-4.htmlWhat's Most Important to You in a Career?tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834723d7269e2013486906050970c2010-08-30T15:20:10-05:002010-08-30T15:20:10-05:00Personal incomes were up 0.2% in July, according to the U.S. Commerce Department, which could in part stem from businesses reinstating salary increases and other benefits that were cut or frozen in 2009. As the economy improves and businesses look...Brie Hobbs
<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Personal incomes were up 0.2% in July, according to the U.S. Commerce Department, which could in part stem from businesses reinstating salary increases and other benefits that were cut or frozen in 2009. As the economy improves and businesses look for more ways to increase employee engagement and retain their key workforce, we want to know what you value most in your job.
<div class="TWIIGSPOLL"> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.twiigs.com/poll.js?pid=60754&color=bluedark"></script> <div class="TWIIGSPOLLpolllink" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border-style: none; clear: none; display: block; float: none; position: static; visibility: visible; height: auto; line-height: normal; width: auto; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: 0; margin-left: 0; outline-style: none; padding-top: 0; padding-right: 0; padding-bottom: 0; padding-left: 0; clip: auto; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: baseline; z-index: auto; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: right; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0; text-shadow: none; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: normal;"> <a class="TWIIGSPOLLmorelink" href="http://www.twiigs.com/" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border-style: none; clear: none; display: inline; float: none; position: static; visibility: visible; height: auto; line-height: normal; width: auto; margin-top: 0; margin-right: 0; margin-bottom: 0; margin-left: 0; outline-style: none; padding-top: 0; padding-right: 0; padding-bottom: 0; padding-left: 0; clip: auto; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: baseline; z-index: auto; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0; text-shadow: none; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: normal; font-weight: bold;">poll by twiigs.com</a> </div> </div> </div>
<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/MovinOnUp/~4/14IZnkeKKhk" height="1" width="1"/>http://blog.expresspersonnel.com/movinonup/2010/08/whats-most-important-to-you-in-a-career.html5 Free Investments for New Job Seekerstag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834723d7269e20133f35e61ab970b2010-08-27T17:15:33-05:002010-08-27T17:15:33-05:00You can start investing today in your future by making use of free resources that will help you in your professional career. As a recent graduate or a new job seeker, it may seem difficult to find the right job....IBK
You can start investing today in your future by making use of free resources that will help you in your professional career. As a recent graduate or a new job seeker, it may seem difficult to find the right job. No matter what field or industry you’re in, you can make use of some of the following tips to set you apart from the competition, and increase your chances in finding a job. These tips will also help you tackle any challenges in your career. Read career blogs: Career blogs are becoming more and more popular as time goes on. Job experts are now using them as a way to share information and offer advice on various topics from how to ask for a job reference to top questions to ask during a job interview. They are also great because they’re free and easily accessible and thus some employers might expect you to be well prepared for an interview because of the plethora of information that is readily available to prepare you for the interview. Use the information to gain insight and quick tips on everything about careers. Learning never gets old, so take advantage of this opportunity. These blogs can help you be better prepared for what employers are looking for in a job candidate.
See a career counselor or visit a local staffing agency: Career counseling is available on many college campuses and is a very helpful resource in choosing the right career path. Talk to a college counselor to gain more insight about your skills, learn what your interests are, and discover what career path is best for you. Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions you can ever make, so it’s important to get all the advice you can before making your decision. For those who may not have access to career counselors, staffing agencies are another great resource to help you find job openings in your area of interest. So, check with your local staffing agency to find out how they can be of service to you.
Ask questions: Asking questions is very important because it helps you gain insight into your potential job path and clear up any confusion or concern you may have. Educate yourself on choices before you make them by talking to people who have experience in the field you’re interested in. Also, find out if you can job shadow someone in the field that you’re curious about. This will give you a clear vision of their job and its daily functions.
Go to a job fair: Job fairs are great opportunities for you to meet with various employers in one place and in a small amount of time. For businesses, this gives them the opportunity to perform initial screening and recruit for entry level jobs. In order to make the most of a job fair, it’s good to research what companies will be attending the fair in order to make a list of your top choices so that you can meet with them first. Researching companies ahead of time or before attending a job fair would give the recruiter the impression that you have an interest in their company and that you are responsible enough to do your homework. Know what the companies do and be able to speak about them in addition to telling them about you.
Make sure you prepare a list of questions you want to ask. For example, ask the recruiter questions about the company’s culture and values. Also prepare to answer questions from the recruiter. Some questions you may be asked are questions like, “What are your goals?” or “Why do you want to work for our company?”
Making a good first impression is the most important thing to remember when attending a job fair because right from the get-go you’re being analyzed and screened. Job fairs are a great opportunity for you to market yourself and show what sets you apart from everyone else. So, be sure to dress appropriately, wear what you would for a job interview because essentially, that’s what you’re doing even if it’s not in a traditional location. Avoid carrying too many things so you can move around freely, and carry a portfolio with plenty of résumés so you can hand them out to the companies you’re interested in. Lastly, remember why you’re attending the job fair. Don’t get distracted by all the freebies some companies provide during job fairs, be professional. Smile and give a firm handshake.
Start a blog: People are now using blogs as a tool to market themselves. Blogging allows you to share information about yourself and your interests. As social media continues to grow, this is a good avenue for employers to familiarize themselves with your interests. Starting a blog will help you establish yourself as a subject-matter expert and develop online persona. Remember some industries may be less interested in blogging and social media than others, so be sure to take note of other tips that are more applicable to your field. If you decide that starting a blog is a great tool for your career, be careful what you put on it. Remember your blog reflects on who you are. So, be professional and avoid anything that may give a bad impression about you.
Whether you’re a student, recent graduate, or just new to your career field, make use of the above tips to either boost your chances of getting a job or to learn important elements to succeed in the business world. Stay in touch with what is happening around you. You owe it to yourself and your career.
http://blog.expresspersonnel.com/movinonup/2010/08/5-free-investments-for-new-job-seekers.htmlTouchdown with a Bad Boss - Week 3tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834723d7269e20133f3531f02970b2010-08-25T17:13:45-05:002010-08-25T17:14:43-05:00Here are the top Bad Boss solutions for week three of our contest! Until September 1, we will be spotlighting three top solutions we've received on how employees handled a tough boss. We will be collecting stories through Friday, Aug....Miranda Wilson
Here are the top Bad Boss solutions for week three of our contest! Until September 1, we will be spotlighting three top solutions we've received on how employees handled a tough boss. We will be collecting stories through Friday, Aug. 27, so you still have time to submit your story! E-mail your story to boss@expresspros.com. At the end of the contest, voting will begin to determine which solution is the best. The person who receives the most votes will win the grand prize. The winner could be you!
Stay the Course Penny started a new job and walked into a field of landmines. Due to her hiring situation, other team members and managers doubted her competence and ability, choosing to judge her before they got a chance to work with her. Her hard work and determination to do her new tasks well began to pay off after a couple of weeks. Slowly she was given the opportunity to expand her role, and her supervisor gave her a new project to work on. Penny stayed on top of the ball throughout the project and made sure to keep the supervisor up-to-date on the advances. She knew she had won over the boss and the team when she was invited to a team lunch toward the end of the project. Penny won this boss and team over by demonstrating her abilities and taking care of business!
Communication Kick-Off At first, Vince struggled with communicating his job expectations and performance issues with his boss. However, Vince soon discovered that, while neither he nor his boss were good verbal communicators, they could express themselves well through e-mail. So, Vince started e-mailing his boss when he had a problem or issue. His boss was able to clearly see the situation written out and then give a written response in reply. This has cut down on miscommunication and made their communication process more effective and efficient.
Changing Teams Shari began working at a new company as Sales Manager. She was ready to take her new team on to new championships. However, she met head-on with a manager who had a unique way of managing his staff. While sales members were rewarded for hitting daily sales goals, he ran a tight ship when it came to the work environment. The manager had rules about what items could be displayed on your desk, restroom breaks, and phone calls. Shari chose to handle her role with poise and grace, but after 21-days she decided her professional goals and desires did not match the company’s policies. Shari choose to seek new employment, she also choose to find her new job through Express!
http://blog.expresspersonnel.com/movinonup/2010/08/touchdown-with-a-bad-boss-week-3.htmlHow to Show Confidence in a Job Interviewtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834723d7269e20133f333f5de970b2010-08-25T12:08:31-05:002010-08-20T17:06:45-05:00Interviews can be nerve wracking. They can make your heart race and your palms sweat. But, it’s important not to let your nerves get the best of you. When interviewing, employers are seeking those who exude confidence and are able...IBK
Interviews can be nerve wracking. They can make your heart race and your palms sweat. But, it’s important not to let your nerves get the best of you. When interviewing, employers are seeking those who exude confidence and are able to present themselves as professionals. Confidence is a belief in yourself and your abilities. So, here are few tips to help give you some extra confidence before your next job interview.
Be prepared: Before every interview, take time to prepare. Visit the company’s website and get a good overview about the company and its philosophy. Also, if you can, find out general information about the person interviewing you. You don’t necessarily have to know everything about the individual, but definitely know their job title and how to pronounce their name correctly to help ensure you create a good first impression. Be sure to know the details about the job you’re applying for and be able to speak about it. The more prepared you are, the more confident you’ll be. So make sure you do your homework and know about the employer researching the company.
Arrive early: Being late to an interview can make you feel flustered and stressed – not a great start for exuding confidence. So, be sure you arrive early to your interview to give yourself plenty of time to locate your interview location and familiarize yourself with the environment. And if you’re early to your interview, you’ll also have time to review your talking points and calm your nerves.
Know how to answer common questions: Be prepared to answer questions an interviewer is likely to ask. Go over common interview questions until you can answer them flawlessly. Ask a friend to pretend they are your interviewer and practice answering those questions in various ways. By practicing common interview questions, you’ll be better prepared for whatever questions come your way. Knowing that you have practiced in advance and that you have good answers prepared will definitely boost your confidence. Also, most interviewers like it when you can give them examples of past situations that can give them insight into your work ethic and professional demeanor. So, give examples of scenarios in your career or life when trying to explain a point. For example, if the interviewer wants to know about your strengths, give them an example of when your strengths enabled you to excel in a task.
Ask questions: This is where a lot of interviewees choke. Expect that an interviewer will ask you if you have any questions for them. Instead of replying no, prepare some questions you want to ask. This shows you’ve put some thought into your interview and you think it’s important. It will also show a potential employer your confidence and that you’re not afraid to ask questions.
Dress appropriately: You can boost your attitude and self-confidence just by the way you dress. When you’re dressed well, you feel good about yourself. If you’re applying for a professional job, consider wearing a suit. If you’re applying for a construction job, a nice pair of slacks and a polo shirt might be more appropriate. In order to make a great first impression, choose professional attire which includes button down shirts, conservative shoes, and solid suits.
Be aware of nonverbal cues: Maintaining eye contact is probably one of the most important nonverbal cues you can have in life and definitely in an interview. This shows the interviewer that you are interested and paying attention to what they’re saying. It shows you’re engaged in the conversation. Be sure you look at them when giving your answers. But, you don’t want to stare them down. It’s OK to break eye contact and look around. Also, before you allow shyness to overwhelm you, sit up straight. Good posture communicates that you’re alert and excited about the opportunity. Slouching sends the impression that you’re bored and don’t care. Finally, mirror the nonverbal cues of your interviewer. Lean forward or sit back when they do to demonstrate that you’re engaged in the conversation.
Be confident even in your weaknesses: Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. Letting the interviewer know your strengths will definitely show what you are capable of. But, it’s also ok to mention your weaknesses. Actually, interviewers prefer to know that you have some and that you are aware of them. After all, nobody is perfect. But, be prepared to talk about how you are trying to work for them. By telling the interviewer how you’re working to improve on those weaknesses, you will show your willingness to be better and how you’re trying to turn your weaknesses to strengths.
Confidence can easily set you apart from others applying for the same job, so be sure to be eloquent, clear, and concise when speaking. Follow these tips to help make your next interview a success.
http://blog.expresspersonnel.com/movinonup/2010/08/how-to-show-confidence-in-a-job-interview.htmlMaking Your Résumé an Attention-Grabbing Piece of Worktag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834723d7269e20133f350da0d970b2010-08-25T12:05:55-05:002010-08-25T12:13:31-05:00As you continue to gain work experience, it’s important to keep your résumé updated to showcase all the valuable skills and abilities you have. The goal of your résumé is to grab the attention of a prospective employer, so you...Miranda Wilson
As you continue to gain work experience, it’s important to keep your résumé updated to showcase all the valuable skills and abilities you have. The goal of your résumé is to grab the attention of a prospective employer, so you always want to make sure that it’s up-to-date, polished, and shows your strengths at all times. So, to help you do that, here are a few tips for you to keep in mind.
Make sure your résumé is professional. The more experience you gain, the more marketable you will become. And, your résumé needs to reflect that. Be aware of the little things that can make a big difference. If you’re submitting a hard copy of your résumé, make sure it is on high quality paper that you can find at your local office supply store. Also, include your name and contact information somewhere near the top so that you are easily identifiable. Make sure you know and utilize the basic building blocks of a successful, professional résumé.
Update your objective or summary. If you incorporate an objective or summary on your résumé, don’t list out what it is you want a company to provide for you. Instead, tell a prospective employer what you can bring to their business. In a few short sentences, list what skills you have that would be important to them and to the job they are hiring for. Find out how to create a top-notch summary.
Showcase your results. Once you have work experience, it’s important to outline the results of your work. Did you increase readership of a newsletter? Bring in more business? Save your company some money? Document these results. The more numbers you can show, the better your work history will look to a future employer. Sometimes you only have a matter of minutes to make a great first impression, so make sure your information grabs an employer’s attention quickly. To help you out, here are a few commonly used words that you’ll want to avoid.
Use action verbs. Action words like managed, designed, and created are words that will really make your résumé pop! Don’t just say that you completed daily office tasks. Be specific and results oriented to really ensure you stand out. break these activities down. For example, instead of saying you’re a team player, try this: “I collaborated with the marketing and human resources team to develop a new employee program.” Punch up your résumé with these power words that will help demonstrate your success.
If you just completed a summer internship, you’re working at your first job ever, or you’ve started a new career in a new industry, always make sure your résumé reflects your current skills, knowledge, and abilities. Keeping your résumé up-to-date and doing regular maintenance on it will help save you time in the long run when you do need it.
