I read a blog entry today…. On BNET, by Steve Tobak about the “7 signs you may be a bad manager”. I recommend that you read the article. You can find it here.
7 Signs You May Be a Bad Manager by Steve Tobak.
Be sure to come back. I’ll wait…….
While I won’t recreate Tobak’s list here, I would like to draw a couple of parallels with the Executive Skills and Traits model that I’ve relentlessly discussed on this blog (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model).
For example, one to the signs mentioned by Tobak is that your “allies are distancing themselves from you”. One of the Communication Skills that I’ve discussed on several occasions is the need for the new/aspiring executive to create and maintain a network (1-4-10 Let's Talk). One of the members in your network should absolutely be the person you turn to for reality checks. For me, that was my executive coach. I’ve talked about this role in the past (2-8-10 Shoulda Told Me #6). Let’s face it, if you are developing into a bad executive, it isn’t happening overnight. There are indications that other people see as it is happening. So your executive coach or sounding board or whatever you choose to call it has to be the person that is willing and able to give you the figurative slap upside the head when you are being an ass.
Another sign discussed by Tobak that you are a bad manager is that “your decision-making is compromised”. Being decisive is a critical Execution Skill for the executive (1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!). Does every decision you make lately seem to turn into crap? And more importantly, have you been able to rationalize each bad outcome? If so, then yes, you are headed down the road of a bad executive. You need to step back and analyze your outcomes -- ask yourself some questions. What key item did I miss leading up to the decision? Did I ignore someone that I should’ve listened to? Did I not get the right people involved? And as important, you can’t let a few poor decisions freeze you from future action.
Take some time to analyze your performance, your interactions, and your organization. Get feedback. Then take action so that you aren’t one of those bad executives that everyone loves to talk about.
Cheers!
Showing posts with label Executive Coaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Executive Coaching. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
2-20-10 Tiger and His Apology
We all saw Tiger Woods apologize today. I know, some of you don’t care, but the fact is, it DOES matter to many people. For me, I’ve always felt that it was none of my business what he (or any other public figure) does in his personal life. But….. There all things that we, as executives, can learn from his debacle. Some of which I’ve mentioned here before, but all of which bear repeating.
First, apologize when you hurt someone. Fortunately, most of us won’t ever have to do it in front of the cameras like Tiger just did. But the fact is, there will be times in our lives that we have to apologize for our behavior. Part of the apology is making sure that you clearly take the blame --- and not shifting it to others. Tiger was perhaps a bit late with his apology (at least in public). Apologies are always better served early rather that late.
Second, no one is entitled to anything. Let me repeat that, we ARE NOT entitled to anything (1-25-10 Shoulda Told Me #5). Tiger admitted that he had gone beyond playing by the rules, feeling that he was entitled to live the life he had created. He is certainly paying the price now. Granted, most people don’t always play by the rules. Yep, I’m guilty of that too. The difference is that successful executives are VERY careful as to which rules they flout. And, they work diligently to change the rules that are stupid, or useless, or outdated.
Third, your private life is never quite as private as you think it is. For Tiger and for many executives there is a constant blurring of the line between private and public lives. There is a very fine line between the two (2-10-10 A Fine Line), where your personal or private life will ultimately reflect on your public life.
As a corollary, I have been impressed by Tiger’s attempt to shield his family from the public glare. He is absolutely right, his wife and kids shouldn’t have to suffer the public scrutiny because of his mistakes or even because of his success. For the executive, how many of you have drug your spouse to events because “it must be done”? Sure, there are times when our families need to participate in our professional lives. But remember, your career is your choice, not theirs.
Fourth, Tiger demonstrated that it is okay to get help. Whether it is a professional, structured program or friends or your pastor or your spouse, it doesn’t matter. What matters is reaching out to someone that can give you perspective and, if necessary, the whack upside the head. (2-8-10 Shoulda Told Me #6).
Fifth, Tiger talked about seeking balance in his life, between the public, the private, the spiritual, etc. As a public figure or as an executive, this is a difficult task to do. But with balance between our jobs, our home, our church, our volunteerism, our school, etc., we will truly are better people to be around. (2-17-10 Balance)
And finally, you have to have a plan for the future. This is especially true for when you make a mistake. Perhaps Tiger was a little thin on his future plans in today’s press conference, but you could see the beginnings of his plan. And even when we aren’t working off a mistake, a vision/plan is still critical. As I’ve mentioned before, the skills related to setting a vision are the exclusive purview of the executive (1-8-10 I Have a Dream). This is not something that you can delegate to anyone else. And, having a plan applies in your personal life as well as your professional life.
Cheers!
First, apologize when you hurt someone. Fortunately, most of us won’t ever have to do it in front of the cameras like Tiger just did. But the fact is, there will be times in our lives that we have to apologize for our behavior. Part of the apology is making sure that you clearly take the blame --- and not shifting it to others. Tiger was perhaps a bit late with his apology (at least in public). Apologies are always better served early rather that late.
Second, no one is entitled to anything. Let me repeat that, we ARE NOT entitled to anything (1-25-10 Shoulda Told Me #5). Tiger admitted that he had gone beyond playing by the rules, feeling that he was entitled to live the life he had created. He is certainly paying the price now. Granted, most people don’t always play by the rules. Yep, I’m guilty of that too. The difference is that successful executives are VERY careful as to which rules they flout. And, they work diligently to change the rules that are stupid, or useless, or outdated.
Third, your private life is never quite as private as you think it is. For Tiger and for many executives there is a constant blurring of the line between private and public lives. There is a very fine line between the two (2-10-10 A Fine Line), where your personal or private life will ultimately reflect on your public life.
As a corollary, I have been impressed by Tiger’s attempt to shield his family from the public glare. He is absolutely right, his wife and kids shouldn’t have to suffer the public scrutiny because of his mistakes or even because of his success. For the executive, how many of you have drug your spouse to events because “it must be done”? Sure, there are times when our families need to participate in our professional lives. But remember, your career is your choice, not theirs.
Fourth, Tiger demonstrated that it is okay to get help. Whether it is a professional, structured program or friends or your pastor or your spouse, it doesn’t matter. What matters is reaching out to someone that can give you perspective and, if necessary, the whack upside the head. (2-8-10 Shoulda Told Me #6).
Fifth, Tiger talked about seeking balance in his life, between the public, the private, the spiritual, etc. As a public figure or as an executive, this is a difficult task to do. But with balance between our jobs, our home, our church, our volunteerism, our school, etc., we will truly are better people to be around. (2-17-10 Balance)
And finally, you have to have a plan for the future. This is especially true for when you make a mistake. Perhaps Tiger was a little thin on his future plans in today’s press conference, but you could see the beginnings of his plan. And even when we aren’t working off a mistake, a vision/plan is still critical. As I’ve mentioned before, the skills related to setting a vision are the exclusive purview of the executive (1-8-10 I Have a Dream). This is not something that you can delegate to anyone else. And, having a plan applies in your personal life as well as your professional life.
Cheers!
Monday, February 8, 2010
2-8-10 Shoulda Told Me #6
For those of you that are new to this blog, I should explain that periodically I will take a side trip down what I call the “someone shoulda told me” bunny trail. This is my way of explaining those little lessons that I often learned the hard way or from observations of others’ behaviors as I was going through my career.
In today’s installment, I want to explore an important relationship at work. And no, I don’t mean your relationship with your boss -- altho’ that is VERY important. No, I’m talking about the relationship you have with (usually) one person -- the person that listens to everything you have to say. I’m talking about your “sounding board”. Someone shoulda told me that every executive needs a sounding board.
Why? Well for one reason, there will definitely be times that you need someone to vent to. You are going to disagree with policies. You will be upset with co-workers, subordinates, or bosses. You will just need to rant --- and get it out of your system. For another reason, you will periodically need a dose of reality. You need someone that can tell you when you are being unrealistic or even an idiot.
Who should it be? Well obviously, it must be someone that you can implicitly trust to hold your conversations in strict confidence. It should also be someone that is a very good listener, while at the same time, someone who can get through your rant to the gist of the issue --- and point it out to you. It should be someone that understands your situation, your company, and your co-workers.
There can be issues related to any person that you choose for this roll. (And make no mistake, YOU should choose your sounding board -- with careful thought. Don’t just fall into this relationship.) For some, that person is a spouse. In fact, that is probably true for all of us. But the problem here is that your spouse often doesn’t really understand the nuances of the organization simply because he/she doesn’t work in the organization.
For some, it is a work peer. Someone in a different organization, and someone that is on the same level as the executive. The issue here is that someday, one of you could be promoted or moved such that there is a day-to-day working relationship. Think about how much baggage you would both be bringing along from those past conversations!
And of course, your sounding board could also be someone outside of your organization, but still in the industry. Again, the issue is that this person wouldn’t necessarily understand the intricacies of your organization.
I was lucky enough to have an executive coach --- who also became a friend --- as my sounding board. Even though she was a company-paid employee, I trusted her implicitly. I could share any information with her and know that it stayed in the room with us. And most important to me, I knew she would give me the figurative “slap upside the head” when I was being an idiot or expecting the impossible. She made me stop and think. And finally, she always gave me sage advice….. Advice that fit with my situation, my company, and my abilities. Can’t ask for much more than that.
So how do you find a sounding board? I would suggest that you look first in your HR organization. Do they have an executive coaching program? If so, sign up. You might have to talk to several potential coaches before you find “the one”. And if they don’t offer a specific program, oftentimes you will find a few HR reps that have some training in this area. Talk to them. Ask them if they would participate. Then try it out.
Cheers!
In today’s installment, I want to explore an important relationship at work. And no, I don’t mean your relationship with your boss -- altho’ that is VERY important. No, I’m talking about the relationship you have with (usually) one person -- the person that listens to everything you have to say. I’m talking about your “sounding board”. Someone shoulda told me that every executive needs a sounding board.
Why? Well for one reason, there will definitely be times that you need someone to vent to. You are going to disagree with policies. You will be upset with co-workers, subordinates, or bosses. You will just need to rant --- and get it out of your system. For another reason, you will periodically need a dose of reality. You need someone that can tell you when you are being unrealistic or even an idiot.
Who should it be? Well obviously, it must be someone that you can implicitly trust to hold your conversations in strict confidence. It should also be someone that is a very good listener, while at the same time, someone who can get through your rant to the gist of the issue --- and point it out to you. It should be someone that understands your situation, your company, and your co-workers.
There can be issues related to any person that you choose for this roll. (And make no mistake, YOU should choose your sounding board -- with careful thought. Don’t just fall into this relationship.) For some, that person is a spouse. In fact, that is probably true for all of us. But the problem here is that your spouse often doesn’t really understand the nuances of the organization simply because he/she doesn’t work in the organization.
For some, it is a work peer. Someone in a different organization, and someone that is on the same level as the executive. The issue here is that someday, one of you could be promoted or moved such that there is a day-to-day working relationship. Think about how much baggage you would both be bringing along from those past conversations!
And of course, your sounding board could also be someone outside of your organization, but still in the industry. Again, the issue is that this person wouldn’t necessarily understand the intricacies of your organization.
I was lucky enough to have an executive coach --- who also became a friend --- as my sounding board. Even though she was a company-paid employee, I trusted her implicitly. I could share any information with her and know that it stayed in the room with us. And most important to me, I knew she would give me the figurative “slap upside the head” when I was being an idiot or expecting the impossible. She made me stop and think. And finally, she always gave me sage advice….. Advice that fit with my situation, my company, and my abilities. Can’t ask for much more than that.
So how do you find a sounding board? I would suggest that you look first in your HR organization. Do they have an executive coaching program? If so, sign up. You might have to talk to several potential coaches before you find “the one”. And if they don’t offer a specific program, oftentimes you will find a few HR reps that have some training in this area. Talk to them. Ask them if they would participate. Then try it out.
Cheers!
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