9-20-10 On Hiatus

The lure of business is just too strong, I guess. I am going to put this blog on hiatus for the next month while I try my hand at an on-line business.

Many of you know that in addition to being a retired executive, I am also an avid crafter. My focus of late has been jewelry. And I've discovered a nifty on-line marketplace that makes my creations available to all those interested. I've been spending a great deal of time getting things going -- and as a result, have neglected my blog.

So, rather than letting this die from neglect, I am going to put it on hiatus for the next month while I get my on-line business going.

If you would like to see my creations, please see me at

www.drjdesigns.etsy.com

Cheers!

9-17-10 Volunteering is a Good Thing

My post from earlier this week got me to thinking about volunteerism. One of the requirements for each executive at my company was to be on the board of directors for a local not-for-profit organization. I never really bucked that idea because, frankly, I thought it was a good one. It really benefits all involved.

For the company, having an executive on the board of a non-profit demonstrated commitment to the community. Yeah, I know, you are thinking, “what did it cost the company?” More than you might imagine. For example, much of the work with the non-profit happens during working hours. So the company loses that executive’s time. But in the end, it is an investment that the company is willing to make.

Of course, the non-profit (and the community) benefits because they get the free use of a seasoned executive. In addition, they automatically get the backing of an influential member of a company. And that backing often loosens the purse strings of the company, to the benefit of the non-profit.

And yes, the executive benefits as well. By participating with a non-profit, the executive expands his/her network. Typically your network will be comprised of people within your industry. However, the non-profit board is typically a mix from a variety of companies and industries. Think about how that can enrich your network.

And finally, from the executive’s point of view -- it just feels good to volunteer and participate. So even if your company doesn’t require it, consider taking some time and selecting a non-profit that fits with you and your lifestyle/personality. Then call them up and volunteer.

Cheers!

9-13-10 Need Your HELP!

Greetings readers! I won’t often use this forum to ask for anything (except for feedback from you --- I LOVE feedback and comments).

But I am going to ask for your help today (and everyday for the rest of this month). One of my colleagues is sponsoring an entry in the Pepsi Refresh Challenge. The top two vote getters in the category will be awarded $250,000 for their sponsored charitable project.

The project I am recommending will be building some badly needed softball and baseball fields in our community. When complete, the complex will provide the youth in our community a place to learn and grow in a team environment.

So now I’ll ask. Would you go vote for this project everyday, please? The link is below.

Central Plains Youth Sports voting link

We really appreciate your effort.

Cheers!

9-8-10 Are You A Bad Executive?

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!

9-6-10 Labor of Love

They say that raising children is a labor of love. While I can’t attest to that, I can vouch for a similar idea….. That you should love what you do. Yes, it is called labor, but why do it (whatever your chosen profession is) if you don’t at least occasionally enjoy it?

Yes, I realize that in today’s job market, we should probably be happy that we have a job. Or if we are out of work, happy with whatever is offered to us. But the job market won’t always be that way.

And whether or not the job market comes back, the executive has a couple of responsibilities. The first is to him or herself. Have you done some analysis of your job lately? What makes you look forward to going to work? What makes you dread getting out of bed in the morning? And how can you modify your existing job to get more of the former and less of the latter? And if you can’t make the necessary modifications, are there other jobs within your company that would be less labor and more love for you? Despite the job market condition, it is always a good idea to move around in your current company than hopping from company to company.

The second responsibility of the executive is to his/her employees. It is never too late to sit down with each direct report and understand what makes them love to come to work. No, they probably won’t tell you what makes them dread coming to work. But you can certainly read between the lines and figure it out. Then it is your responsibility to work with them in creating opportunities that puts the love back into their labor. And if you can’t get rid of the things that create the dread, at least be up front with them and say so. We can all do the drudgery for a while --- if we know our bosses understand and appreciate it.

So on this Labor Day, first kick back and relax. Then when you get back to the office tomorrow, it is time to start working on how to turn labor into love.

Cheers!

9-1-10 100 Years of Life

My great aunt Mildred celebrated her 100th birthday a few days ago. That’s her, on the right, in the picture below. Also in the picture? Her “baby sister” and brother-in-law. Baby sister. Gives a whole new meaning to the term, eh?

Anyway, her birthday celebration got me to thinking about the change she has seen in her hundred years of life. In no particular order, here are some things that were invented in the last 100 years:

Refrigerators
Zippers (and then, of course, Velcro)
ATMs
Corn flakes
Phones (land lines, then cordless, and now cell and satellite phones)
Razors (they used to be called safety razors. Guess they ARE a lot safer than a straight razor!)
Television
Band-aids
Scotch tape (and thankfully, Post-It notes)
A-bomb
Contact lenses
Cars
Airplanes
And my favorite? Computers!

Yep, there has been a lot of change in the last 100 years. You can imagine that the executive of 100, or even 50 years ago, had a whole different set of problems and challenges to deal with. Their ability to adapt to all the change probably took on a true life or death aspect that those of us in today’s business environment can only imagine.

I guess that it doesn’t really matter what era you are from -- there will always be change. Some good, some bad. But at least you will never lack for opportunities to adapt.

Cheers!

8-27-10 On The Road Again

I admit it. I am spoiled. I realized that, yet again, yesterday. I got on an airplane yesterday, for the first time in over a year. And I realized how much having the might of a corporate travel department eases the irritations of travel.

For starters, I had to fly through Chicago. Most of you are familiar with O’Hare and the particular joys of going through one of the busiest airports in the world. And to add to the joy, I had a 3 ½ hour layover. Now it used to be, when I traveled for business, I had access to the airline’s red carpet clubs. That sure makes a lengthy layover more bearable. But yesterday, I got to spend my time sitting around in gate areas. Not exactly the best way to spend an afternoon.

My final destination was nearby Louisville, Kentucky. Arrived there about 11pm and made my way to the hotel. Which I discovered was undergoing extensive remodeling. The jackhammers, saws, and sanders started up about 8am this morning. Sigh. So I got to spend an hour or two on the phone, looking for a much quieter hotel.

So while you are still a corporate executive, learn to appreciate your travel department. While I spent my fair share of time cussing them when I was still working, I realize now just how much crap they cleared out of my way as I traveled around the world. Nothing makes you appreciate something more than not having it anymore.

Cheers!

8-25-10 Trust in the Service Industry

Every time we get our hair cut, we place our trust in the person with the shears. I never realized just how much trust is involved until recently.

Unfortunately, my good friend and hair stylist passed away earlier this summer. He and I had been together for well over 25 years. I realize now that he had me more than a little spoiled.

Finding a new person is no easy task. Then you have to decide what information to share -- toeing the line between dictatorial and allowing some creative license. And then of course, you have to decide when it isn’t going to work out. Only to have to start the danged process all over again.

On my first attempt to find a new person, I stayed too long and perhaps allowed too much creative license. And now have the irritating hairstyle to prove it.

The same is true of the new executive. You will be working with all sorts of service personnel in the early days of your promotion (and throughout your career). Today it will likely be your assistant. The next day it might be a graphic artist. Another day it might be a technical writer. Service personnel will be all around you. You probably won’t even have to seek them out -- they will find you.

You do have to speak up with your wants and needs. But you also have to allow the service person you are working with do their job. You can’t hamstring them with unreasonable or seemingly random dictates. Remember the delicate balance between your absolute needs and their creative abilities.

And you may find that there isn’t a good fit between you and the service person. It will be up to you to do two things. First of all, you will have to initiate the conversation about the disconnect. And second, you will have to work with the service person to come up with a way forward that works for both of you. And of course, in the extreme, you might have to replace him/her.

So give some thought to the service industries that are all around you. How are your interactions? And how can you make things better?

Cheers!

8-23-10 A Small-Town Festival

I had the opportunity to attend my hometown summer festival this past weekend. It makes me smile just to think about it. There’s nothing like a small-town festival to remind you of your roots…… But that’s another post….. Someday.

One of the events at the festival this year was bull-riding. Now, I have to admit that I don’t know a lot about bull-riding. But I also have to admit that I really enjoyed watching it in person. And yes, I know that you are wondering what in the heck this has to do with the new executive….. I’ll get to the point.

I was interested to see one of the safety measures that had been implemented in the sport. About ¾ of the bull riders wore the traditional cowboy hat. But about ¼ of them wore a helmet. Think in terms of the helmet that a catcher in baseball wears. After my initial surprise, I realized that it is a pretty darned good idea. Bull-riding is a dangerous sport. Broken arms, legs, or clavicles hurt like heck but they DO heal. A broken head? Not so much.

Yeah, you're still wondering… “so what”? Getting there……

I got to pondering why in the heck the PBRA doesn’t mandate the helmets for all riders. I mean, really, aren’t they responsible for the safety of the men that participate in the sport?

And that is where the executive comes in. In each of our industries and businesses, there are dangerous occupations. It is the responsibility of the executive in charge to ensure that 1) the proper safety procedures are in place, 2) that he/she follows those safety procedures, and 3) that his/her people follow those safety procedures.

I lead in a factory environment for several years. Two of our safety procedures were to wear safety glasses and to wear ear plugs. I never had a problem with the safety glasses. They weren’t pretty and they were often heavy, but I always wore them in the factory.

The earplugs, on the other hand, I despised. I had a hard time, when people tried to talk to me in the factory, hearing them with the ear plugs in. So I would reach up and yank them out, have my conversation, and then stuff them back into my ears before moving on -- repeating that many times during the shift. By the end of my shift, the inside of my ears would be raw from the rubbing of those dang ear plugs.

But I did it anyway. Why? Because it was my responsibility to set an example. AND, I never asked my people to do something that I wouldn’t do. So how could I get on someone for not wearing their personal protective equipment when I felt that I was exempt from it. Not the right way to do business in my opinion.

As an executive, give some thought to the relevant safety measures for your area. Then follow them. And then…… make sure that your people do as well.

Cheers!

8-20-10 Links to the Past

Continuing to re-visit comments from my survey participants……

I ran across one comment that I both agree and disagree with. Strange, but true.

When I asked my survey participants to tell me what one thing they wished they had known when they became an executive, I got this comment.

“The importance of networking. Once at the executive level, the direct links to getting tactical tasks are broken. You have to know who to go to and how to work as a team.”

Of course, we know from the Executive Skills and Traits model that networking is an important part of the communication skill set (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model and 1-4-10 Let’s Talk). So you can imagine that I agree with the importance of networking. I also agree with the idea that you have to know who to go to and also how to work as a team.

Where my survey participant and I diverge in opinion is on the idea that when you get promoted, the direct links are broken. In fact, I heartily disagree with him. My belief is that unless you royally piss off a member of your network, you never actually lose or break the link to him/her.

Yes, some members of your network might go “dormant”, for lack of a better word. That is just human nature. As we move on to new phases of our lives, there are some members of our network that we will see or talk to less frequently. The time between contacts will lengthen. And the conversation, we when do meet, can be stilted because of the lack of use. Dormancy, however, doesn’t mean the link is permanently severed.

What is does mean is that you haven’t done a good job of tending to your network. This is one task that you should deliberately schedule. Make time to call or see people that were an important part of your past. Some will think it a waste of time, but you never know what might come of this. You might pick up new ideas for a product or service. You might find that you can do your contact a favor in his/her current career stage. Or you might find that he/she is in a position to help you.

And after all, isn’t that what networks are for?

Cheers!

8-17-10 Discovering Limits

One of my nieces is visiting this week (love you, Kaitlyn!). She just turned 21. Ahhh to be young….. Actually, now that I think about it, not really. But it does bring back memories of discovering my limits when I was around that age.

Things like: How much autonomy do I really have from my parents? How much can I drink? How much studying do I really need to do for that test? How much can I work and still be able to go to school? At that age, there are all sorts of limits to be discovered.

As a new executive, you have a similar road to travel on discovering your limits. Of course, if you are an executive, you have already spent a fair amount of time defining and discovering the limits around your career. But as you transition to the executive payroll, there are new limits to discover.

For example, you will have to discover how much authority you actually have. Intuitively you know that you are granted additional authorities when you are promoted. The problem is…. How much? Unfortunately you will only discover the answer to this question by trial and error. Yes, you can define authority limits with your boss up front. But believe me, things change. You can make a decision one day that you believe is wholly within the limits of your authority…. Only to be chastised by your boss the next day for doing it. The limits probably didn’t shift overnight. Instead you and your boss didn’t clearly delineate all limits. Not surprising, as it would be impossible to do.

You will find many more instances of defining limits as you progress in your executive career. Fortunately, unlike the 21 year old discovering the limits of alcohol, you won’t likely face a life-threatening situation. However, you will face many career-threatening situations.

My advice? Be deliberate. Think your choices through. Don’t back away from the perceived limit. But don’t barge ahead with your head down and your senses shut off.

Cheers!

8-13-10 Don't Eat That June Bug

My dog seems to be a real aficionado of the June bugs that are plentiful here in the Midwest. The unfortunate thing about that (other than the very obvious ick factor) is that every time she eats them, she ralphs them right back up. Sigh. You would think that she would’ve learned her lesson after the first time or two. But noooo, that would be way too easy on the dog parents.

At this point, you are either really grossed out or wondering, “what in the hell does this have to do with the executive?!”. Or both.

Can’t help you with the grossed out part. But I can shed some light on what this means for the exec.

Have you ever heard the adage about the definition of insanity? Where someone keeps doing the same thing over and over -- expecting new or different results?

Well, while I can’t vouch for my dog wanting different results after eating the June bugs (altho’ I would like it), I can vouch for the fact that the executive often does the same thing over and over -- and truly expects different results.

Why do we execs do this? I think that it has to do with what worked in the past. We’ve found a process for problem-solving that has gotten us out of sticky situations before. Why not just apply it every time we get into a sticky situation?

In fact, organizations often encourage this kind of behavior. How? By sending in the same trouble-shooting team over and over. You’ve seen the routine. A program or a project falls deeper and deeper over cost or further and further behind schedule. The team in place can’t seem to turn the tide. So the senior execs put their heads together and decide to throw a tiger team at it. And who do they pick? It is always the same people. (Typically the ones that kick ass and take no prisoners -- but that’s another story.) You could write a script for what this tiger team will do, if you have watched them in action before -- because you can bet that they will do the same exact things.

Do they succeed? Sometimes, yes. Sometimes, no. Isn’t it a good thing when they do? Well, yes. Maybe.

The unfortunate thing about this approach is that the tiger team is trying to force a standard process or answer on a variety of problems.

In reality, what the executive team should be doing is putting their execution skills to use (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model and 1-3-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!). You are being paid to lead your organization. In order to do this you need to analyze the situation, gather the appropriate data, synthesize the information, determine a path, and lead your team in the resolution. You have to deal with the fragmentation of the problem. You have to deal with the ambiguity inherent in the information you gather. In short, you are managing change -- often at a breakneck pace.

Because things are moving so fast or because the situation is dire, you will be tempted to trot out your “typical” solution -- one that has worked in the past. This may or may not be right. But you can be sure that it won’t be tailored to your current situation. And by following a “typical” path, you will likely end up with a less than optimal resolution.

Don’t get me wrong --- your past successes (and failures) are important. They inform your capabilities. You can use this experience as part of the data you take in during your analysis.

Just make sure that you aren’t applying the insanity rule in your day-to-day activities. Figure out what should be done in this moment --- not what you’ve done in the past.

Cheers!

8-11-10 Are You Strategic or Tactical?

It shouldn’t surprise you when I say that the executive is the strategist for the organization. Much has been made in the popular press (and academic press for that matter) about how the new executive has to make the shift from tactical thinker to strategic thinker when he/she is promoted into the executive ranks. One of my survey participants did a very good job in describing this move. Remember that I asked all my survey participants to tell me the one thing that they wished someone had told them when they were promoted.

This executive talked about strategic focus. “Usually new execs are promoted because they are good at tactical mgmt, but the move to exec mgmt needs to also accompany a move to longer term strategic thinking. The task of tactical mgmt is to do the best with the project that you have, but does not consider whether or not the project should be part of our business. So the shift to strategic thinking requires the new exec to ask questions about why we are in a specific business and should we stay in that business. Alternatively, the exec should ask what other businesses we might enter.”

Please don’t misunderstand. Your tactical capability is still important. There WILL be times that you have to dust off your tactical management skills and put them to use. Perhaps when a project is in trouble or when you a teaching a member of your staff how to manage a project.

But this type of tactical management should not be the whole of your job or your skills. If you will recall, one entire section of the Executive Skills and Traits model pertains to strategy (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model and 1-8-10 I Have A Dream). The vision skills are definitely important.

The hard part comes from trying to discover your own vision skills and then putting them to use. Why? We are creatures of habit. And as my survey participant indicated, the executive is usually promoted because he/she is really good at tactical management. It is much easier to stick with what we know and are comfortable with. Tactical management is a concrete, “get your arms around it” kind of management tactic. You know how it works and you know what to expect at the end.

Strategic management, on the other hand, is one of the mushy, “don’t know what the hell I’m doing” kind of processes. In strategic management, you are asking the questions that don’t have one right answer. Or may not even HAVE an answer. You are plotting courses for a destination that only you might be able to see -- or you only have a vague idea that it even exists. You are realizing that the questions you used to ask will have no relevance in a strategic discussion. This same is often true for the data you used to gather in order to make a tactical decision -- often it won’t do much to enlighten you for a strategic decision.

In short, strategic management is hard work. But you have to do it. Because if you don’t, who will be charting the course for the next 3 to 5 to 10 years in your organization? If you abdicate this responsibility, you are leaving the future life of the organization to the whims of the marketplace. This is because your default strategy will be to react to whatever stumbles across your desk or field of vision. You won’t filter out the unimportant. And by reacting to anything, you will likely miss the most subtle, but often most important, impacts to your organization.

So suck it up and hone your strategy skills -- for your sake and for the sake of the people that depend on you.

Cheers!

8-9-10 The Decider

Most executives don’t consider their job title to be “The Decider”. And that is a mistake. Why? Because most executives would tell you, if you asked how decisions are made in their company, that it is a group effort. Remember, the model for Executive Skills and Traits defines decisiveness as one of the important execution skills that an executive will need (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model and 1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!).

One of my survey participants had an interesting take on the whole “decider” role that the executive should play. He said,

“Effectiveness at being a leader can by crystallized on those big-deal moments: the pitch is over, the options are up there, sides are drawn. Everyone is looking at the decision-maker -- ‘the decider‘.”

Yes, I know. In the past I have talked about the need for the executive to “spread around” the decision-making. I’m not backing away from that. As an executive, you have to know what level is the appropriate level for making a decision. Many times that level will be one of your staff members.

There are times, however, when YOU will be the decision maker. That is what my survey participant was talking about. You have to take the information that you have, check your gut, take a deep breath, and make the damn decision.

It is interesting how many times that I’ve seen an executive actually back away from one of those big-deal moments. Perhaps they do this by delegating a decision that should not be. Or they “make a decision” by not actually deciding anything (putting their avoidance technique to work). Or they let the group make the decision. Or they kick it upstairs to be made.

Whatever the method, by backing away, the executive becomes less effective. Not only for the current decision, but also for future ones. If your boss or peers or staff watched you back away from one big-deal moment, how likely are they to come back to you the next time? Why bother, if you can’t make a decision!?

So remember, as an executive you ARE expected to make decisions. Step up. You can do it.

Cheers!

8-4-10 Scrambling is Good

I played in a golf tournament this evening…. A scramble format. For those of you that aren’t familiar with the game or the format, a scramble is a great thing. In this format, each person on the team hits their own ball then you decide which is the best shot, then everyone hits from that spot. Continuing on that way, picking the best shot, until the ball is in the hole. For hackers like me, it is about the only way we can ever consistently get a good score.

It occurred to me that the scramble format is a good metaphor for how we accomplish things at work. As an executive, it is up to you to set up an effective team. Once you have the team in place, you are relying on each of them to take their best shot on any given project. Since you most often have a team working on a project, some of the team members’ shots will be better than others. And that’s okay.

Because if you “play” the scramble format, you can pick the best “shots” and the whole team can proceed from there.

Yes, some would say that this is an inefficient way to do business -- simply because you have more than one person working on a project step. I would suggest that any waste you have from some overlap is more than offset by the longer strides you will be able to make by selecting the best from each person.

So as you launch that next project with your team, consider using the scramble format -- and see how much further and faster your team goes.

Cheers!

8-2-10 Visibility

I never gave much thought to visibility…. Until re-reading some of the comments and input from my research survey. If you remember, I asked each participant to tell me the one thing that they wish they had known when they became an executive. Here’s what one research participant had to say…..

“New executives must be particularly visible so the stakeholders can satisfy their curiosity on whether or not the new executive was the right choice for the job, and whether or not he or she can be trusted.”

Interesting twist on visibility, isn’t it? Frankly, whenever I’d thought about visibility in the past, it was way more self-centered….. As in, wanting to get positive visibility with my boss or potential bosses so that my career would advance.

However, this twist on visibility acknowledges the need that the people around you have. And it makes sense. When you are first promoted to the executive ranks, many people will know you and your past. However, they don’t know how you will operate as an executive. Additionally, there are many more people that don’t know you at all --- and want to understand how you will operate.

Whether they know you already or not, people are interested (and even worried) about how you operate and what impact it will have on them.

The concept actually touches on a couple of aspects in the Executive Skills and Traits Model (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model). Within the model, there is a set of skills labeled Communication Skills (1-4-10 Let's Talk). And while the idea of visibility doesn’t fit nicely within those individual skills, what is visibility if not some form of communication?

And you will note that my survey participant addressed the need for people learn about the new executive’s trustworthiness. If you look in the Executive Traits section of the model, you will find a set of traits called Honest, Ethical, and Credible (1-18-10 Executive Traits). Certainly, those who promoted you have already made this judgment as to your trustworthiness. But many more people will still need to see you, interact with you, and make their own judgment.

So remember, as you go about your day, people are looking for you. Quite literally. So that they can learn about you, what makes you tick, and how you will impact their lives.

Cheers!

7-30-10 Loose Lips

The latest news about the leaking of sensitive information within the Army got me to thinking……

Have you ever heard the phrase, “loose lips sink ships”? The phrase was actually created as a slogan during World War II by the US Office of War Information. It was part of an ongoing effort to warn people about inadvertently giving useful information to enemy spies.

This is how it looked back then……



Since I worked for a military contractor for many years, I am very familiar with the need to protect the data within your company, project, etc. And it was drilled into us, over and over again, that ANY conversation we had outside of the office could potentially be overheard. And used to the detriment of our customer. So I “grew up” in business being well aware of the need to protect information.

In today’s environment that is even more important. Not only for military contractors but for commercial business as well. You think I’m kidding -- relative to the commercial business? Nope, I’m not. Think about how valuable the information you carry around is. For example, wouldn’t your competitors like to know that you are planning to compete on “x” contract? Or wouldn’t your customers like to know that you are working on a new product -- one that will obsolete the product that they are preparing to spend millions on?

Your competitors (and others) are constantly on the lookout for information that will give them an advantage over your business. Most firms don’t resort to industrial espionage -- mostly because they don’t have to. All they have to do is to hang out in the places that you and your staff frequent. Think about it. How many lunch-time conversations have you had about sensitive business with your colleagues? And did you know who sat at the tables next to you? What information did you and your colleagues inadvertently give away?

Of course, I’m not suggesting that you succumb to paranoia. Only that it is prudent for any executive to remember how valuable the information they carry around in their head truly is.

Cheers!

7-28-10 Is It Better To Beg Forgiveness?

Here’s an interesting question….. Is it better to beg forgiveness or to ask permission? Hmmmmm…..

Guess that depends on the situation, of course. But in the business world, I learned early on that it is better to take action and then beg forgiveness if something goes awry.

Oh sure, there are times that it is absolutely mandatory that you ask permission. Like when you are about to commit the company to a multi-billion dollar contract, well then, you should probably ask a couple of people if it is okay. There is a line here that you must not cross…. And that line will vary depending on your boss of the moment, your situation, your company, etc.

But, for most of the day-to-day business activities, I never really had much luck with asking permission. It gives people the opportunity to delay your actions -- even when their agreement wasn’t really needed. It also gives people the opportunity to torpedo your actions -- if it is something they don’t want. Or, heaven forbid, it gives someone the opportunity to say no. And if that someone is your boss, you can consider the door to be firmly shut to your idea. No amount of finagling will get you back to yes.

My policy is to assume that I have the authority (and responsibility) to do something until someone (usually my boss) tells me different. Have I screwed up with that attitude? Occasionally, yes. Hence the idea of begging forgiveness. It is real easy to say, “I’m sorry, but I thought that was my responsibility. I’ll not do that again”.

Interestingly, people (my boss, specifically) have always been willing to accept that and we move on.

Here’s something even more interesting. I’ve gotten feedback in the past that I was rated highly in evaluations because of my willingness to take the initiative, make a decision, and implement a plan. If I hadn’t assumed the appropriate authority, that would have never happened.

So remember, you are an executive. And you are in charge. Act like it.

Cheers!

7-26-10 So Many Bosses, So Little Time

For whatever reason, today I was pondering the various types of bosses out there. Of course, there are as many types of bosses as there are people holding the position. But a few types come to mind for me……

The Hit and Run. This boss never seems to have enough time to do anything properly. He runs into your office, drops a new assignment on you (like a hand grenade), and then breezes out before the explosion. Or he arrives at a meeting 10 minutes late, spends everyone else’s time getting caught up to speed, and then leaves early --- before any decisions can be made. Of course, his buy-in is required, so the decision is delayed to another day. Or with performance reviews --- you can count on them to be scheduled and re-scheduled, multiple times, because he always seems to have more important things to do.

The Psycho. With this boss, you never know which boss will actually show up. Think Mel Gibson in his current state --- you know, the psycho that keeps ranting and raving on those recorded phone calls. One day, this boss is as nice as can be. And then the next? Well, when you recognize the signals, you learn to stay out of his way during those times. ‘Cause lets face it, when he is in psycho mode, you cannot do anything right or to his satisfaction.

The Good Ol’ Boy. Also known as The Politician. This guy is everyone’s friend. And all too often, he will say exactly what you want to hear -- and not what you need to hear. He knows everyone’s business, and doesn’t hesitate to insert himself into it, but only if he can be the hero.

The No Questions Answered. You know the type --- “because I’m the boss, that’s why”. Oh sure, he’ll never say that out loud, but you know that is what he means. Don’t bother asking questions, because he won’t answer them or will duck you when he sees you coming. Or if he does deign to answer the question, he’ll be sure to make you feel like a fool for asking.

The Figurehead. This guy generally doesn’t have a clue. He IS the boss, but to get anything done, you have to figure out who is really in charge and go to that person.

And on a side note….. Yes, I put these in terms of “he or him”. But that doesn’t mean we women are exempt from these types. It happens with either gender.

And while I’m on a side note, yes I recognize that I’ve just written about all the negative boss types. Oh sure, I know that there are good ones out there. But really, would that be as interesting to read about?!

Why is it important to recognize the different types of bosses? First, you need to know who you work for and how to handle their idiosyncrasies. Because we all “manage” upwards with our boss. And knowing the type of boss you have will make your upward management strategies more efficient.

Second, you need to understand what kind of boss you are. If you are one of these negative types, KNOCK IT OFF. Seriously, you’ve probably worked for one of these folks in your career. Didn’t you just hate it? So, if you ARE one of these types, don’t you suppose that you make life way to difficult for those people that work for you?

Cheers!

7-23-10 Shoulda Told Me #12

It’s been awhile since I’ve been down the “someone shoulda told me” bunny trail. And I guess today is a as good as any to take that trail……

I wish that someone had told me, early on, to pick a sport or two and learn how to be good at it. Of course, good being a relative term….. Most of us will never be professional-category good at any sport. By “good”, I mean good enough that you won’t embarrass yourself when you play the chosen sport.

Why is this important for the executive? Well I’ve thought of a few varied reasons.

1. Discipline. Most sports have their own set of rules and disciplines to follow. By learning the intricacies of any sport, you are disciplining your mind. In addition, it brings discipline to your body. In order to not be embarrassed when you play a sport, some practice and conditioning will certainly be involved. And what is practice if not a form of applying discipline?

2. Place to do business. It shouldn’t surprise you that a lot of business is conducted in sporting venues. I can’t tell you how many times that I’ve taken customers to play golf. In many cultures, doing business with someone means getting to know them first. And the links provided me with a way for my customer and I to get to know each other. Once we were back in the conference room, we had yet another positive link in our relationship.

3. Takes your mind off of business. I won’t go into the whole idea of life balance (yet again), but will suffice it say that playing a sport allows other sides of your personality to come out -- sides that may not see the light of day in a business setting.

4. It’s in the lingo. Even in the office, you hear sporting lingo. Doing an end around (American football). Getting a free pass (baseball). Acing it (tennis). It was a slam dunk (basketball). Whether we like it or not, sports permeate our daily business life with the lingo. And if you don’t know the lingo, how will you keep up?

And those are just the reasons that I can come up with in one sitting. I’m sure that there are many, many other valid reasons for becoming proficient at a sport. The point here is, whatever your reasons, having the ability to participate in a couple of sports is important and beneficial.

Cheers!

7-19-10 Story Time

One of the critical skill sets for the new/aspiring executive is communication (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model and 1-4-10 Let's Talk ). Within this skill set is a sub-skill that I call story-telling. And no, I don’t mean the story-telling that you used to do when you tattled on your brother or sister during your grade school years.

What I mean is the ability to use a story or anecdote or even a joke to illustrate the point that you are trying to make. The ability to “story-tell” is a useful tool in the executive’s kit. Why? Because if the story is memorable, people will remember the point you are trying to make. I had one boss that was particularly good at this. And frankly, even years later, I could tell you the point he was trying to make just by remembering his story.

I try to use stories here to make my posts more interesting -- to both you and I. Sometimes I think I hit the mark and sometimes, well not so much.

So what makes a good story? Here are some of the things that I’ve observed.

-- Your story has to fit the situation. Random stories, even if they are interesting, don’t help you.

-- Your story should be well thought out. Have some in your back pocket that you have gone over in your head. Why? If not, you will likely ramble. And people will totally miss your point.

-- Don’t overuse your stories. They lose impact with the re-telling and re-telling and re-telling……

-- Don't drag out the story. Keep it short, sweet, and make an impact with it.

And one final thought. Does the story have to be true? Well, ideally, yes. But not always. Fictional anecdotes can be effective as well.

So let story time begin…….

Cheers!

7-16-10 More Musing on Balance

Earlier this week (and other earlier posts), I talked a little about the need for the executive to have balance in his/her life (7-12-10 Hard-Core Business Person vs. Artsy-Fartsy) . My pondering of the subject continued as I was reading one of the many magazines to which I subscribe -- Real Simple. (You can find out more about it at www.realsimple.com if you are interested).

Anyway. At the start of every issue, they have a “question of the month” to which readers respond. This month’s question fits in nicely with the whole idea of balance. They asked, “If you were suddenly given a free day this summer, how would you spend it? Imagine 24 glorious hours with zero obligations.”

Interesting concept, eh? The readers’ answers were are varied as the personalities that exist around the globe. One said she would spend it on her motorcycle. She said, “You know how happy a dog looks when he hangs his head out the window of a car? That’s how I feel on my bike.” Outstanding. Others suggested things like: floating on an inner tube, putting family photos in albums, visiting a best friend, recreating a past adventure, reading, etc.

It was fascinating to read. And it was invigorating to imagine what I would do. Yeah, I know, I’m retired so I have that luxury almost every day. I wish that I had taken that luxury of having obligation-free days when I was still working.

With cell phones, Blackberries, families, work, and other “to do” items, it is definitely tough to find an obligation-free day. So maybe you start small. Instead of laying your Blackberry next to you on the end table while you watch tv in the evening --- but it in a drawer somewhere and ignore it for a few hours. Or instead of using a free afternoon off to run errands, take the time to go to the art museum or take your kids to the zoo. If you are creative, I’m sure that you can carve out at least a few obligation-free hours each month.

And more difficult that finding the time? Turning off the guilt you will likely have when you ignore the obligations. But, it is well worth it because you come away from that time recharged and ready to take on old and new obligations.

So enjoy your obligation-free time!

Cheers!

7-14-10 On Being Decisive

One of the execution skills in the Executive Skills/Traits model involves being decisive (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model and 1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!).

One of my survey participants had an interesting take on this skill. He said, “Many/most times decisions are elevated due to lack of a clear cut ‘answer‘. Being able to listen to opposing arguments and make a decision is critical to exec leadership. If it was easy, the team would have already decided.”

If you haven’t figured it out yet, being an executive ain’t easy.

As an executive, you no longer get to make the easy decisions -- if you’ve delegated appropriately. The easy decisions are made by your staff or your managers. That means you get stuck with the hard decisions.

And as my survey participant indicated, in order to make those hard decisions you have to weigh the information and the opposing arguments. Fairly and impartially. The “fair” part is easy for most executives. The “impartial” part usually isn’t.

Why? Because we all have a past or history. And that can impact our analysis and decision-making. In order to be a successful executive, you have to recognize your past and your biases -- then to the extent possible, leave them behind. And if you can’t, you at least need to factor them in to your decision-making process.

Of course, once the decision is made, then it has to be implemented. But that’s another post……

Cheers!

7-12-10 Hard-Core Business Person vs. Artsy-Fartsy

Okay, did that headline make you chuckle? Well, it does me --- every time. I’ve been a crafter all my life. My husband calls it my “artsy-fartsy alter ego”. There is something so very satisfying in creating an object that is either useful or beautiful.

And more important -- my artsy-fartsy side was an important balancing tool in my life.

In the past, I’ve talked about balance in the executive’s life (2-17-10 Balance). Specifically, I talked about taking time away from work and using up the vacation that you’ve already earned. Today, I thought that I would explore a different kind of balance.

During the business day, the executive is a hard-core business person. You wouldn’t have made it to the executive ranks if you weren’t. But, when you go home at night, you have to find the balance that lets you recharge for the next day. For me, that is crafting. I can lose myself in the creative process…. Making jewelry, crocheting an afghan, painting a picture…. All evening long. I realized that it used a different part of my brain and my emotions to come up with the creative outlet. And by doing that, I was giving all of the “business” side of me a rest.

How did I know it was important? Because if I stayed away from my craft table for too many evenings or weekends, I started to be a pretty grumpy Gus. I just felt out of whack.

And no, I don’t mean that you have to go out an discover your artsy-fartsy side. Although that is fine, if it works for you. What I’m suggesting is that you discover what activities allow you to disconnect from the business world and recharge. It might be sports. It might be community service. It might be writing. It might be reading. It might be people-watching. It might be surfing the web. Heck, it might even be channel-surfing on the tv.

Whatever you discover it to be, make time for that activity in your life. Balance ultimately makes you a better executive.

Cheers!

7-9-10 Ah, Summertime!

I was talking to a teacher-friend of mine the other day. I asked what she had been doing with herself during the summer -- besides playing golf, of course. I learned that teachers don't necessarily get the summer off (at least not the good ones). Her reply was a two-fold answer. She is working a second, summer job. And she is going to school.

My first reaction was an internal confirmation that we don’t pay our public school teachers enough. They shouldn’t have to have a second job in order to make ends meet.

And my second reaction was “good for you”, going back to school. I found out that she does this every summer. She identifies new educational methodologies and then seeks out training on them. She said that way she can evaluate whether or not it would be something that she can incorporate into her own classroom.

And the kicker? This woman is a long-time teacher. She has been doing this for years and still she seeks out the new and innovative ways to teach and motivate her students.

Frankly, it is a good lesson for executives. Just because you have made it (finally!) to the executive ranks doesn’t give you license to sit back and coast. There is still plenty to learn about new ideas, processes, techniques, methodologies, etc. And if you aren’t learning in today’s business environment, you likely are going backwards. You can’t even tread water without some new knowledge.

Many of you will say “yeah, but I read all the new business books that come out”. I’m here to tell you that it ain’t enough. Take a class. Go to a seminar. Try something completely outside of your knowledge area. You never know when you will hit on a new concept that is exactly what your company or your organization needs.

Cheers!

7-5-10 What's In A Job Description

I’ve been asked many times over the years --- what is it, exactly, that you do for a living? For executives, that can often be a tough question to answer. Depending on the day, the point in my career, and of course, my mood, the answer can range from --- “I sit in meetings for a living” to something like “I run the 737 strut factory”. But honestly, that doesn’t really describe what the executive does.

So after reflection, here’s my cut at a job description for the executive. As an executive, my job is to get the crap outta the way so that the people who do the “real work” can actually get their jobs done -- on time and correctly. Remember, in the past, I’ve said that I don’t buck the rivets that go into the airplane. I only help out those that do.

So what does “getting the crap outta the way” mean? Actually, it can mean anything, depending on your industry, company, organization, people and the circumstances. Here is an example of what it meant to me.

My very first factory assignment was as the general of a sheet metal organization. The area included a mixture of machines and bench work. It was in a VERY old building. And while the company tried very hard, in the summer, to keep the temps moderated, you can imagine how hot an old building can get in a Mid-Western summer.

One group of machines were called Modigs -- NC extrusion mills for building aircraft parts. The operators were skilled machinists that could frankly, make those pieces of equipment sing. The great thing about NC machines is that they can produce quality parts, reliably and quickly. But they don’t operate on their own. The machinist’s job required him (yes, in this industry, they are all guys) to be at the machine constantly. If he wasn’t there, it wasn’t running.

Picture 25 or so of these machines lined up down the floor of the factory. And then imagine how much heat the machines and their operations threw off. Yep, it got pretty darned warm in there during the summer.

Apparently in the past, the machine operators had asked for shop fans. These are large, industrial, pedestal-based fans. Those babies could move a bunch of air. Unfortunately, their past requests had been ignored.

In any new job, I would always spend the first few weeks listening -- to the managers, the mechanics, the support staff. In one of my walkabouts, the mechanics brought up the subject of fans. I was surprised to learn that they had asked for them repeatedly.

Honestly, it didn’t take much more that a few phone calls on my part and fans started coming into the shop. Within a couple of weeks, there was a fan pointing at each machine operator --- cooling him and making his job easier.

My reward? Well of course, happy employees --- which always results in higher output and higher quality. But the real reward is shown below.

As rewards go, original artwork by a talented mechanic is pretty darned good.  In fact, it just doesn’t get much better than this.

Cheers!

7-2-10 Change and the Newly-Minted Executive

Just because you now have the “executive badge” emblazoned on your chest, doesn’t mean that you should charge in and make a whole bunch of changes. What?!? I bet you are thinking, “well, sheesh, isn’t that what they promoted me for?” Yeah, probably, but it won’t do you any good to make changes the day after you start your new job.

One of my survey participants put it very nicely.

“I think it is important to learn the team and gain some respect. By doing this your new team will be more willing to support the changes you need to make.” He went on to explain that he had been promoted to an area that was new to him -- and that the team in place didn’t know him very well. “I believed they did not trust me yet because of this. So before I made any major change I took my time to let them get to know me. Then when I did make the change they all stuck behind it.”

The issue here is managing change, a key skill in the execution portion of the Executive Skills and Traits model (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model). And while not specifically called out in the model, patience is an important factor in managing change. It is imperative that you take your time -- and not try to change everything overnight.

You probably have the skills to make all kinds of changes in a very short period of time. But as this executive wisely understood, the changes probably wouldn’t “stick” because the people involved with it didn’t trust him yet -- and by extension, probably wouldn’t trust the motive behind the changes or even the changes themselves. Patience is required -- the patience to learn about the team and the patience to allow them time to learn about you.

Change is difficult, even in ideal circumstances. And, despite the fact that you allow time for the team to adjust to you, not all of them will agree with or support the change. But if you have earned their trust, they will at least not block the needed changes.

So yes, you might have been hired or promoted to effect change in an organization. But you have to balance this with the willingness and ability of your new organization to accept and implement the change.

Cheers!

6-30-10 Am I Fired?

I managed to totally space-out about making a blog entry on Monday. If I were a “paid employee”, I’d probably be fired by now. Or would I?

It seems that most companies rarely fire people -- except in extreme circumstances. If a person doesn’t perform, they typically just get shoved off into a corner.

I know that I’ve said in the past that sometimes you have to clean out the dead wood (4-19-10 Cleaning Out the Dead Wood). But my musings about whether or not I should be fired from the blogging world got me to thinking about the responsibilities of the executive relative to people who don’t perform.

As an executive, your job is to create an environment where your people can accomplish the work assigned to them. There will be times when one or more of your employees don’t meet your performance expectations. And for at least a couple of your employees, it is likely that it will happen time and again.

So what do you do? Well, if I were a good HR person, I would tell you to document the heck out of each situation. And you know, that isn’t bad advice, because if at some point you do have to fire the employee, you will need that documentation.

But beyond the proscribed HR answer, what else can you do?

As I said above, you have to create a successful environment. That means figuring out the unique environment that will allow your non-performing employee to perform successfully. And that does not include pawning this employee off on some other executive or organization.

As the executive (and the boss), your job is to figure it out. Here are some things to ponder as you are working on this. Is the employee struggling with specific tasks? Is it a communication issue? Is it an education or training issue? Is it attitude? There are, frankly, an endless number of possibilities here.

Once you narrow down the possibilities/issues, then it is time to talk to your employee. You need to make your expectations very clear, being very specific about performance issues. And then you need to talk about options for the employee (and I‘m NOT talking about the threat of job loss). Show the person that you have given this a great deal of thought and analysis ---- and have some ideas. Then listen. And listen some more. Let your employee talk through the anger and frustration that he/she likely has. At some point, it will likely come to be a collaborative session between the two of you.

One other thing. You will probably have to do it more than once. Huh? Yeah, I really mean that. Think about it. When you were deciding on a career, did you end up doing today what you started out doing? Likely not. So be prepared that the first attempt by you and your employee to get this right will not always work. Patience…….

Cheers!

6-25-10 Renewing Old Friendships

For me it is always a good day when I learn something new. And today, I learned something new.

I just spent the afternoon with a high-school friend….. My best friend in those days. As happens a lot in real life, we had lost contact with each other over the years. It had been 30 years since we’ve seen or talked to each other. So I learned a lot today…. About my friend and her life over the past 3 decades. It was an absolutely delightful afternoon.

And I re-learned something else. Each executive’s network should be made up of both old and new friends, colleagues, etc. Yeah, I already knew that. Heck, I’ve talked about that more than once in this blog. And one of the key executive skills from my model is all about building your network (1-4-10 Let's Talk).

But “knowing” something and actually implementing the knowledge are two completely different things. I realized today that I “knew” how important the network was in my life, but I hadn’t actually taken an active role in maintaining the relationships that should be an important part of my network.

I also realized that it is important for each executive’s network to be made up of a variety of people, with a variety of backgrounds. It doesn’t have to include just your work relationships. Your network should have people from all the aspects of your life --- work, church, volunteer activities, college, and yes, even high school. There is so much to learn from all of the people that touch your life. And when you let both old and new relationships go stale, you miss out on so much.

The beauty of a network is that you can always renew and reinforce the relationships, no matter how much time has passed. Sure the relationships might have changed/evolved, but they are still there for your learning and enjoyment.

So, take some time and check your network. Is it balanced? With all types of people and all types of backgrounds? Have you told the people in your network how important they are to you? I guess it comes down to…… did you make an effort to nurture the relationships?

Cheers!

6-23-10 Don't Dis Your Boss in Public

I don’t think General McChrystal is a dummy. Hell, anyone that can advance to a four-star general has to be a pretty smart person. But I do have to wonder what he was thinking…….

In the past I’ve written about how there comes a time when you have to quit arguing, salute smartly, and follow the company line (2-1-10 Salute Smartly). But this whole incident with General McChrystal goes even beyond that.

If you haven’t been watching the news lately, General McChrystal (who heads/headed our war operations in Afghanistan), gave an interview to the Rolling Stone where he and his staff apparently dissed the President, the Vice President, and various diplomatic wonks in country. On a side note, I’ve read the article and frankly, I didn’t think it was that inflammatory. However, our press, and subsequently the President, apparently did because the General got relieved of command today.

Public disagreements or public dismissals of others’ ideas are never a good idea -- whether you are looking up the chain of command or down the chain of command.

When you are looking up the chain of command and you publicly dis your boss, like the General supposedly did, you run the serious risk of losing your job. Even if you retain your job, you will likely lose the confidence of your boss. And really, how can you be effective if you don’t have the support and backing of your boss? You will also likely jeopardize any future opportunities that might have come your way. Why would other potential bosses want you on their team when you clearly ignore the chain of command or when you publicly air your concerns or negative thoughts?

When you are looking down the chain of command and you publicly dis your peers or subordinates, you damage the credibility of everyone involved. You damage your credibility because, after all, YOU were the one that hired the person that you just publicly dressed down. What does that say about your common sense and abilities? And you damage the credibility of the person that you dissed, because if you don’t take them seriously, why should anyone else? And because of that, they become unable to effectively do their job. So you’ve essentially jeopardized your organization’s ability to accomplish its mission.

So the moral of the story here is….. Keep your negative opinions to yourself. In this day where there is immediate transmission of news, emails, IMs, and pictures/audios, you just never know where or how far what you are saying will go. And if you just can’t keep your opinions to yourself, then take them to the person that will be most hurt by the public flogging. Have the nerve to tell that person what you think. And if it is your boss, then be prepared to salute smartly and do what he/she says anyway.

Cheers!

6-21-10 The Care and Feeding of Landscapes and People

To celebrate the first day of summer, I designated today as landscape maintenance day. Woo hoo. It is 95 degrees here in the Midwest today (and humid!) --- so we get our yard work out of the way early in the day this time of year.

As I was mowing, it occurred to me how ironic the whole landscape-keeping cycle is. I mean, think about it. We nurture the lawn…. We seed, we plant, we feed, we water. And then? We cut it all off so that we can start the cycle over again. It just seems ironic to me that we work so hard to nurture the lawn, only to whack it short. And we do the same darned thing for the flower garden, the vegetable garden, and the shrubs/trees. The only thing in the landscape that is exempt from the whole process is the rock garden.

However, despite the irony of the whole process, there is something satisfying in watching your landscape prosper throughout the cycle of maintenance.

I would suggest that the same cycle is used in the care and feeding of people. Some might not like the metaphor, but in my mind, it fits. As an executive, one of the primary responsibilities is the “maintenance” of the people in the organization. We nurture. We coach. On occasion, we hand-hold. We teach. We demonstrate. We give feedback. We cheer on. We reward. Frankly, this is one of the most rewarding parts of the executive’s job.

And periodically, we have to rein our people in. It is our responsibility to protect our people from getting so far out on a limb that it bends beyond recognition --- or snaps. But if we are good at our executive job, we never, ever make the “clipping” process painful or personal. It isn’t easy for any executive to do this, but like lawn maintenance, it must be done.

And like the landscape maintenance process, there is a great deal of satisfaction when you see your people learn and grow and prosper.

Cheers!

6-18-10 Expectations

The US Open started yesterday. And with almost 2 rounds complete, the leader is at 2 under par. While I know that Pebble Beach Golf Course is a difficult course, my expectations were that the pros would come out shooting very low scores. Why? Because like many sports fans, my expectations are based on past performance. Last week, at the St. Jude Classic, the winner was 10 under par. And the week before, at Jack’s Memorial Tournament, the winner was 18 under par. Of course, I didn’t take into account the course, the conditions, the competition, or the players. But those were my expectations.

The same expectations exist for the new and/or aspiring executive -- whether we like it or not. I’ve mentioned in the past that the executive is usually promoted to the exec ranks because of his/her past performance. The expectation is that the outstanding performance that got you this far will continue. And that expectation is without regard to the conditions of your previous jobs.

Is that realistic? I guess that depends on your situation. If you are promoted to an area where you are familiar with the people and the processes -- in that they are similar to what you have done in the past, then yes, it is realistic. Because the skills that got you this far will be the same skills that can carry you forward. However, the caveat here is that you can’t blindly follow the same path that you’ve used in the past. You are an executive now. You have other resources available to you -- and you are expected to learn how to use them.

However, if you are promoted to an unfamiliar area, then past performance may not be the best indicator of how you will do in the new job. Sure, some of your skills will be translatable. However, many will not. It is up to you to decide which will work.

One final word. It is also up to you to manage expectations. Huh? Yes, within reason, you CAN manage the expectations of your boss, your peers, and your staff. Obviously, don’t over-promise. But perhaps it isn’t quite so obvious that you shouldn’t under-promise. Figure out what you can deliver to the position, and how you will deliver it --- then make sure that they know your plan.

Cheers!

6-16-10 English is a Tough Language

Today the Chairman and CEO of BP visited Washington DC. In an attempt to apologize publicly for the oil mess, they had yet another publicity gaffe.

The Chairman, Carl-Henric Svanberg said, "I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies are greedy companies or don't care, but that is not the case with BP. We care about the small people." Good grief.

Clearly, Mr. Svanberg has English as a second language. I heard one report that he is Swedish. Perhaps I am naïve, but I tend to believe that the gaffe is more a result of his use of the English language -- and not an incredible insensitivity on his part.

There are several lessons for the new executive in this -- but I will point out just two.

First, if you are working with a co-worker, client/customer, supplier, etc. whose first language is not English, remember to allow for the benefit of the doubt. What gets translated in their brain and comes out of their mouth, often does not fit with our social norms or may not even be politically correct. Don’t automatically assume that it is an insult. They may not realize the impact of what they have said.

Second, if you are an executive whose first language isn’t English, you need to spend probably more time that you would like on assuring understanding of your English. Don’t assume that your interpretation is the one that your English-speaking colleagues will understand. Yes, the burden is on you for this. Not fair, but realistic. Practice your delivery, understand the idioms, and take the time to assure yourself that what you wanted to say actually came across to your colleagues.

And overall? The lesson for native and non-native English speakers is that our language is a difficult language. Give people the benefit of the doubt. Don’t be offended. Strive, instead, for understanding.

Cheers!

6-14-10 What is Your Budget?

Every executive has a budget. And every executive knows exactly where he/she stands on spending the budget. No matter what level of executive you are, you will have budget constraints. Which leads me to one of the comments made by my survey participants. Remember I asked each participant what one thing that they wished they had known when they became an executive.

We know from the execution function of the executive skills and traits model that financial acumen is an important skill for the new and/or aspiring executive (1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!). This comment is an interesting twist on that financial acumen skill.

One particular executive said, “I discovered there was a tremendous amount of money needlessly tied up in reserve accounts and a lot of energy wasted hiding/holding on to those reserves”.

Okay, quit shaking your head. We all do it. Somewhere, buried deep in your budget is a slush fund. You “grew up” learning that reserves were required. If you didn’t have some extra funds in your back pocket, how could you possibly survive and pay for any unk-unks? Or how would you fund any unexpected opportunities?

So now you are asking… “are we all wrong? Should we not have reserves?” Well, yes and no. Unfortunately, there isn’t a straight answer on this one.

When is it appropriate? Perhaps when times are good because then the impact of reserves isn’t felt too keenly. Or perhaps when you are introducing a new product, when you can’t possibly have identified all of the problems and hitches that you will encounter. Or, as irritating as it is, when you know that your following year’s budget will be dependent on this year’s budget, including reserves.

You can tell that my survey participant didn’t think reserves were such a good idea. And there are times when he is right. How much time do you spend concealing or defending your reserves? Is it really worth the time and effort you put into it? I’ve seen some executives spend more man-hours defending a slush fund than the fund was actually worth. I just wanted to tell him that he wasn’t being very smart in choosing his battle.

Or have you checked into the overall financial health of the company lately? If your company is one of the companies that is laying off, I would suggest that you pony up your reserve immediately. There isn’t any reserve that compares to saving jobs. Or if your company is borrowing heavily just to stay afloat, then again, cough up the reserves.

Be smart about your slush fund and you won’t damage your company or your ability to survive and prosper.

Cheers!

6-11-10 An Oily BP Mess

I suspect that you might have noticed that I have not written anything about the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf. Why? Perhaps because every time I watch the stories about the results of the blowout, I am just heartsick by the damage that it is doing to the Gulf. And, like most normal mortals, I’ve been practicing my finely honed head-in-the-sand routine. I can’t fix it, so I ignore it. Not a good management skill, but one that we all have (and, on occasion, use).

So now that I’ve sufficiently prodded myself, I do have a few things to say about the disaster -- at least in a larger context.

In the past, I’ve talked about disaster preparedness (3-29-10 Tornado! and 3-1-10 Earthquakes and Such), risk tolerance (4-14-10 What's Your Tolerance Level?), and safety (2-26-10 Are Safety and Growth Mutually Exclusive?). But today, I thought that I would approach it from a different perspective.

Someone asked me an interesting question once --- one that I believe applies here. “Are you so busy eliminating risk that you forgot to manage it?” As you might imagine, in the aerospace industry we take the elimination of risk seriously. Each of us in the industry takes it personally when a plane falls out of the sky -- whether or not it was one that we built. We are a risk adverse lot and go to great lengths to eliminate it. So what is the fundamental flaw in this? The original question answers that. Huh?

Well, the sad truth is that, no matter the industry, we can’t eliminate all risk. It would be like wrapping your kid in bubble wrap, all kinds of protective sports pads, a helmet, hockey gloves, racquetball goggles, shin guards, etc. and then sending him/her out to play in a war zone. You didn’t eliminate the risk. You can’t stop the war. But you could manage the risk by keeping your child at home. Okay, not the best analogy for the parents out there, but you get my point.

I am naïve or trusting enough to believe that BP spent so much time trying the eliminate the risk associated with deep water drilling that they forgot to manage it. Why? Because part of managing risk is putting contingency plans in place. Given the response by BP (and the government), I don’t see any evidence of contingency plans. Seems to me that all involved are making recovery plans up on the fly. Now don’t get me wrong, the ability to operate on the fly is also important. But it is a helluva lot easier to do when you at least have some rudimentary backup or “what if” plans in place.

As an executive, you are right to want to eliminate risk. But at some point, you will have to acknowledge that you cannot eliminate all the risk. You have to stop and define the remaining risk and then you absolutely must put plans in place. Call them contingeny plans, what if plans, risk management plans -- call them what you want. Just make sure that you have the ability to manage risk.

Cheers!

6-9-10 Shoulda Told Me #11

Practice makes perfect. Hmmm, I guess maybe that someone DID tell me. I can distinctly remember my mom telling me (relative to music) that practice makes perfect.

Unfortunately, just because Mom said so, didn’t necessarily mean that I easily translated that to my professional life. Duh.

In the past, I’ve talked about the communication skills that I defined in my model for executive skills and traits (1-4-10 Let’s Talk). And I’ve also talked about preparation, knowing/reading your audience, and how to seal the deal (3-12-10 Yea, There’s a Presentation for That). But today, I’m even more focused.

I still remember giving my very first presentation. No, I don’t remember the topic, but I do remember my physical reaction to the actual “giving of the presentation”. Frankly, it was horrible. Before I started and during the entire pitch, I had an awful case of the butterflies. I’m pretty sure that when I got up in the front of the room and looked out at the audience, all they saw was a terrified young woman with a bona fide deer-in-the-headlights look going on. My mouth was so dry you could’ve spun cotton in there. And my hands shook as I put up the first view foil. (For those of you under 40, we didn’t have Powerpoint back then. We had someone type up our presentation and then copy it to transparencies which were then shown on the screen. Heck, I’m guessing they don’t even make the transparencies or the display machines anymore!). And answering questions was excruciating as my brain seemed to have taken a vacation to less stressful climes.

That had to be the longest half hour of my life. But somehow I muddled through.
And I swore that it would never happen again.

So I did my research. I identified a couple of people that I thought were very good at giving presentations. And then I took the time to meet with them and ask a lot of questions.

The very best advice I got? Practice. If you want something bad enough, its worth some practice. And I decided that I wanted to be GOOD at giving presentations or talking in front of groups of people.

I finally realized that it really wasn’t so dumb to stand in front of the mirror and give my presentation to myself. Or it wasn’t so dumb to give the presentation in my car on the way to work. Or it wasn’t so dumb to ask a trusted colleague to listen to a dry run. All of these….. Over and over.

Did it help? Well, yes. I like to think that I ended up being pretty good at delivering pitches. At least others told me so. I will tell you that I never eliminated the butterflies (and that’s okay, because I felt that kept me on my toes). But I was able to minimize the nervous reactions during the pitch and I was able to rein my brain in so that it stayed in place during those q & a sessions.

So, I sure wish someone had told me sooner that practice makes perfect at work too!

Cheers!

6-7-10 Pomp and Circumstance

In the past, I’ve talked quite a bit about the need for the new executive to have outstanding communication skills. In fact, the Executive Skills and Traits Model has an entire section devoted to communication (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model and 1-4-10 Let's Talk ). If you are like me, you intuitively know how important those skills related to communication are. However, for me, reading some model or some dry explanation of a concept doesn’t really bring home the importance of it within the day-to-day business life of the executive.

One of my survey participants gave some feedback that gives an interesting view on the importance of the communication skill set -- a view that I hadn‘t considered in the past. This executive said, “I wish that I had known more about the amount of time required to be spent in ritual and ceremonial activities -- all employee meetings, service milestones, customer program visits, production milestone rollouts, community events, etc. The skill desired is to be able to speak extemporaneously in a variety of settings on a variety of topics in front of large crowds of stakeholders.”

Hmmmmm. Packed into those two simple sentences is an amazing amount of info for the new executive to consider.

First, of course, is the surprise that many executives experience when they realize how much time they will spend in activities that they perceive as having nothing to do with their job. Wrong! You are now a figurehead for your organization and for your company. That means you have to lead those ritual and ceremonial activities. That takes time -- a lot of time. You need to plan for it and you absolutely must make sure that you don’t short-change these activities.

Second, you may not like leading these type of activities, but you better learn to be good at it. For example, it is up to you to make the new product rollout celebration a happy and rewarding time for the employees that have worked so hard to make the new product happen. This is your chance to publicly say thank you to all those that have given so much of themselves.

Third, there are the large crowds that are usually associated with ceremonial activities. Ack! I know that there are some folks that truly enjoy speaking to large crowds of people. Not me, personally, of course. I was like most executives -- butterflies, dry mouth, etc. But I learned to do it. I had to. And as a new executive, so do you.

And finally, there is the whole idea of balancing planned comments vs. extemporaneous comments. When you lead one of the ceremonial events, you don’t want to stand up there and woodenly read a prepared speech. And on the other hand, you also don’t want to get up there and speak off-the-cuff. Why? Because, unless you are very good or very experienced at off-the-cuff speaking, you WILL screw it up. Trust me on this -- I’ve seen it happen many times.

So take the time, work with your support team, and script the event. Think about what makes the day special for everyone in attendance. Ponder who should be called out for special recognition. Determine the special effects needed to make the point. Write a speech. Read it aloud. Often. In other words, prepare! And then on the day of the event, you will be ready. Put the speech in your pocket and then tell people how special they are. If you have practiced, you have the words in your mind --- you don’t need to read them off of the sheet of paper. Yes, you will still have butterflies and yes, you will probably make a couple of mistakes. But that’s okay -- those butterflies and those unk-unks are what keep you sharp and on your toes.

Cheers!

6-4-10 Who Do You Admire?

I was reading an article yesterday where people commented on what woman they admired or were positively influenced by. Interesting reading…… Of course, it got me to thinking about what woman (or women, in my case) had a positive influence in my life. Four of them came immediately to mind.

My maternal grandmother was an amazing woman. While we aren’t Southerners, she always struck me as the quintessential Southern woman. Unfailingly polite and accommodating, but with a strength that was amazing. While she had definite ideas about what was “right and proper” (in the true Southern belle genre), she never imposed her views on us. And to hear her talk about the things she had done and seen -- which she thought was nothing special -- was always amazing to me.

And of course, there is my maternal aunt. She has learned, time and again, how to accept, deal with, and then live with serious diseases. I continue to be impressed and influenced by the strength she displays in dealing with the emotional and physical difficulties she faces. And her sense of humor --- well, let’s just say that when people finally look past her physical difficulties, they discover a hilarious woman.

There is my sister. An amazing woman that has, with her husband, raised three wonderful young adults. All while living abroad, working, and traveling. I can’t imagine the strength it takes to have the serenity that she always displays. She is the calming influence in today’s modern world.

And finally, there is my mom. Like her mother, she is a kind and amazing woman. She raised a family at a VERY young age. And I think we all turned out okay. She displays an amazing amount of strength when dealing with change (and she has seen a lot here lately). Her ability to adapt is an inspiration to me.

The common theme here? Strength. The women I admire have positively influenced me by teaching me about the strength required to not only get through the big bumps in life, but also just to get through the small bumps of day-to-day living. I admire and love them all.

Who has positively influenced your life? Who do you admire? It doesn’t have to be a family member. It might be someone at work, at church, or in the community. I (and my readers) would LOVE to hear your story.

Cheers!

6-3-10 Deadlines

So…. Did you ever miss a deadline? One that was either self-imposed or job-imposed? It feels awful to miss a deadline. I can attest to that --- since I missed my normal post yesterday. My sincere apologies to my regular readers. I hate it that you went out to look for the regular post and it never showed up.

Of course, there is a lesson (or two) for the aspiring executive in all of this….. What should I have done differently?

Well, one thing is to quit imposing deadlines on myself! But being the normal human being that I am, that isn’t likely to change anytime soon. Add to that the fact that many (most?) executives are really Type A people, where self-imposed deadlines are a way of life. For whatever reason, Type A people typically operate better under any type of deadline.

Or I could’ve actually planned ahead --- and had a couple of “pre-done” posts on the computer and ready to go. It is kind of interesting that when I was working, I was the “planner”. I arranged everything in my work life (and my personal life!) to mostly military precision. But since I’ve retired, the urge to have that streamlined arrangement isn’t so strong anymore. I’ve truly learned to say “there’s always tomorrow”. Good for the psyche, bad for my readers!

And finally, I could’ve actually alerted my readers that the post was delayed. In work life, it is imperative that when you are first aware that a deadline will be missed, you have to let your boss or whoever is in charge know. Never, NEVER surprise them with a missed deadline. They must always know what is going on -- good or bad.

Again, I apologize to my regular readers for my tardiness. I only hope that you, as a new or aspiring executive, can find some lesson that will help you in your journey.

Cheers!

5-31-10 Happy Memorial Day!

Courtesy of Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_day), we know that Memorial Day was formerly known as Decoration Day. It commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service.

I would suggest to you that today is a good time to remember not only those that died in service of our country…… but it is also a good time to take a moment to thank our veterans and active service personnel.

Thank you…. Uncle Wes, Roy, Dave, Rob, Andy, Michael! We appreciate your service.

Cheers!

5-28-10 Never Enough Time

No, I’m not going to give you yet another time management model to follow. There are plenty of good ones (and some not so good) available in the market and on the web today. I do, however, have an observation about time management to share.

While time management isn’t listed explicitly in the Executive Skills and Traits model (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model), it is implicit in several of the skills listed in the Execution Skills portion of the model (1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!). For example, it is implied in the Manage Change and Ambiguity; Manage Fragmentation and Rapid Pace skills.

One of my research participants had a very astute observation about the need for time management. He said, “spending the appropriate time and energy on the ‘right’ tasks is very difficult for a new executive. Some of these critical tasks for a program success will not be within his/her comfort zone. It is extremely easy to be busy on the wrong tasks at the exec level”.

Of course, a very basic step in effective time management is for the executive to determine the “right tasks” that he/she should be working on. Human nature is such that we all want to work on something that we are familiar or comfortable with. That makes it entirely likely that the new executive will tend towards those tasks -- rather than the ones he/she should be doing.

So let’s say that you are an accounting executive. The temptation would, of course, be for you to delve into the details and numbers of a balance sheet or its associated subsidiary ledgers -- checking and cross-footing like any good accountant would. But you have to ask yourself, is this really the best use of my time? Or would my time be better spent on strategic issues around the balance sheet? For example, wouldn’t it be better for you to spend some time on the more strategic thinking around how much leverage your company should be carrying on the balance sheet?

Or let’s say that you are a manufacturing executive, having come up through the ranks as a mechanic. The temptation would be for you to spend time pulling drawings and understanding the details of the parts your organization is producing. And while it IS important for you to understand your product, wouldn’t a better use of your time be strategic? For example, once you have a grasp of your product, wouldn’t your time be better spent in strategic thinking about what other products you could be producing and offering?

The time management point here is ---- spend your time on those tasks that are appropriate to your position. Sure, you oversee the details. But you are overseeing those that you have delegated to -- NOT doing the detail work yourself. Figure out the critical tasks that you should be doing for the success of your project, program, or company --- then get to it!

Cheers!

5-26-10 Over-Communication

In developing the model for executive skills and traits, it was clear that Communication Skills were going to a critical part of the model (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model and 1-4-10 Let's Talk ). My research certainly confirmed this.

In past postings, I’ve shared some of the responses made by my survey participants. I asked them what one thing they wished that they had known when they became an executive. One participant really nailed some of the communication skills with his comments:

“Over-communicate. Ask more questions that you think you need to -- especially during times of change.”

This really has two separate but related ideas. First, the over-communicate idea. Let’s say you have developed a new strategy for your organization. (And it goes without saying, that you have developed it in conjunction with the people that will actually be implementing it, right?) Anyway, for this one topic, it is critical that you personally tell every member of your organization, which is say, 100 people. Now I understand that you won’t be talking to each of them individually. So, let’s say that you have small groups of 10 people for each meeting.

And you know that studies have shown that the average adult has to hear something at least 7 times before they truly retain and internalize the information. Okay, now do the math. That means you will be telling your new strategy message at least 70 times. And of course, that doesn’t include all the presentations you had to do with your bosses to get the approvals to even proceed, right? Ever thought about communication that way? Most likely not.

We get tired of repeating ourselves -- of hearing the same thing coming out of our mouths over and over. By the time you’ve created the strategy, you have put in your hard work and are ready to move on to something else. But you can’t. You have to tell people, and do it again, and again, and again…… How long? Well, frankly, as long as it takes for it to become part of your organization’s culture.

The other idea in the survey comment is related to listening. Ask more questions than you think you need to. First of all, you have to be really listening to the answer when you ask a question. Too often, I’ve seen that someone will ask me a question and then I can tell that they aren’t really listening to my answer. They think they know what I’m going to say and have moved on to formulate their response. And second, you have to ask yourself does this answer get us to where we need to be? If not, you move on to the next question. One tool for doing this is what we used to call the “7 Whys”. It originated back when we first started quality circles (yeah, I know, the Stone Ages!). And while asking “Why?” seven times might not be the most appropriate question for you to ask in every situation, it can remind you that asking questions is as important as anything else you will do in your executive career.

So, yes, you have to talk, talk, talk -- until you are sick of hearing yourself say something -- then say it again. And you have to tie this closely with active questions and participatory listening

Cheers!