2-1-10 Salute Smartly

I’ve always been a pretty aggressive person. I get an idea or a bee in my bonnet and I go for it. Generally, that has served me well in the work environment. But not always…….

Back when I was a first level manager, I had responsibility for the financial systems in the company. I remember one time where we had an upgrade to one of the systems that the team was proposing. We had done our research and come up with what I considered to be a very elegant solution. We went to the bosses and made our case. I thought it went very well.

What I didn’t realize was the full scope of the available support and funding for the opportunity.

As a result, we were told “no”. Instead, we were told to go do a smaller, less elegant solution. My team and I didn’t agree with this solution. So I went back to make our case again, and again, and again….. Well you get the idea. I was working hard to get approval for something that my team and I thought was the absolute right way to go. I guess that I was more than a little vocal about the situation.

Finally, my boss took me aside. He said, “Look, I really appreciate your passion for this and I really appreciate how you are supporting your team”. But then he went on to say, “Now knock it the hell off”. He wanted me to understand that having passion about your work is a good thing. However, I REALLY needed to learn that once the decision has been made, to quit arguing. That I needed to step back, salute smartly, and support the company line.

He went on to explain that by continuing to argue, I was giving my people false hope that the decision would be reversed. And I was subtlety encouraging them to rebel against what had been decided. Further, there would be times in my work life that I wouldn’t agree with the company position. But that until I was the CEO, I would have to swallow my arguments and support the company decision.

Frankly, that was a difficult lesson to learn. We all like to think that we are right in every situation. And maybe we are. But being right doesn’t trump supporting your company‘s tactics and direction. When it comes right down to it, there are times when you will have to internalize your disagreement and get on with business.

Cheers!

I Have A Dream

Okay, so that probably isn’t the intended use of Dr. King’s famous words….. But you can’t deny that he was a man that could create and present a vision/strategy, right?

We can’t all be the visionary that Dr. King was, but my research shows that there are some specific skills related to the vision function that are critical to the new executive. That skill set includes: understand the big picture; create vision, mission, and strategy; and develop shared values.

In order the create the vision for his/her organization, the executive must have the skill to understand the big picture. Just how wide this picture is will depend on the organization, the company, the industry, and even the larger environment. In some instances, understanding the big picture might mean knowing how the executive’s area of responsibility fits within the larger organization. Or in other cases, the executive must know how the larger organization fits into the environment in which it operates. So the skill is not just understanding the bigger picture, but also understanding the context in which the picture must be viewed.

As for the creation of vision, mission, and strategy….. Well, the new executive should have the skill to move from the tactical, day-to-day operating environment to a more strategic, long-term view. As much as we would all like to believe (and I know that I’ve said) that the executive should stay out of the “doing” of the organization, it just doesn’t always work that way in real life. The fact is, even though you are an executive, you WILL get drawn into the “doings of the organization”. That’s okay, with two caveats. First, you have to know when to back away from the “doing” and let someone else take the lead. And second, you have to be able to fluidly switch from the “doing” to the “planning”. That is often easier said that done.

Beyond this, the new executive should have the skill to create a vision, mission, and strategy for the organization. This also means leading the effort to convert the strategy into the tactics for achieving it. It also means bringing the communication skills we’ve previously discussed to bear. Dr. King was a fine example of “selling” the vision to the people that needed to buy-in --- the people that would execute the vision.

There is also the skill of creating shared values within the organization. This is ultimately derived from setting the strategy and then communicating, as well as empowering people to achieve the goals. The thinking here is that through the common group effort, shared values begin to emerge and, over time, are solidified.

One other note from the survey…… my participants were clear about the fact that the skills related to the vision function are the exclusive purview of the executive. You should never, and I mean never, delegate the setting of the vision, mission, and strategy. Yes, you can get your people involved in the research that goes along with devising a strategy. And yes, you should get their input on it. And yes, they will be the primary doers of the tasks to achieve it. But, you are the boss. You set the direction.

Dr. King had this function nailed. He created a beautiful vision. He took a long-term view. He understood how this vision fit within the larger environment. And he created some powerful shared values. A pretty darned good leader to emulate.

Cheers!