I read a blog entry today…. On BNET, by Steve Tobak about the “7 signs you may be a bad manager”. I recommend that you read the article. You can find it here.
7 Signs You May Be a Bad Manager by Steve Tobak.
Be sure to come back. I’ll wait…….
While I won’t recreate Tobak’s list here, I would like to draw a couple of parallels with the Executive Skills and Traits model that I’ve relentlessly discussed on this blog (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model).
For example, one to the signs mentioned by Tobak is that your “allies are distancing themselves from you”. One of the Communication Skills that I’ve discussed on several occasions is the need for the new/aspiring executive to create and maintain a network (1-4-10 Let's Talk). One of the members in your network should absolutely be the person you turn to for reality checks. For me, that was my executive coach. I’ve talked about this role in the past (2-8-10 Shoulda Told Me #6). Let’s face it, if you are developing into a bad executive, it isn’t happening overnight. There are indications that other people see as it is happening. So your executive coach or sounding board or whatever you choose to call it has to be the person that is willing and able to give you the figurative slap upside the head when you are being an ass.
Another sign discussed by Tobak that you are a bad manager is that “your decision-making is compromised”. Being decisive is a critical Execution Skill for the executive (1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!). Does every decision you make lately seem to turn into crap? And more importantly, have you been able to rationalize each bad outcome? If so, then yes, you are headed down the road of a bad executive. You need to step back and analyze your outcomes -- ask yourself some questions. What key item did I miss leading up to the decision? Did I ignore someone that I should’ve listened to? Did I not get the right people involved? And as important, you can’t let a few poor decisions freeze you from future action.
Take some time to analyze your performance, your interactions, and your organization. Get feedback. Then take action so that you aren’t one of those bad executives that everyone loves to talk about.
Cheers!
Showing posts with label Communication Skills. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Communication Skills. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
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!
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!
Monday, August 2, 2010
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!
“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!
Friday, July 30, 2010
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!
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!
Friday, June 25, 2010
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!
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!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
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!
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!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
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!
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!
Monday, June 7, 2010
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!
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!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
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!
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!
Monday, May 24, 2010
5-23-10 Selling Access
I saw in the news today that Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York (is she still called that after the divorce? Hmmmm) was caught trying to peddle access to Prince Andrew. Interesting concept, eh? The news folks all seem to be in an uproar about that. And while I think it is more than a bit tacky, is it really any different that what we face in business life everyday?
For example, our networks are a form of currency. We do a favor for this person, and someday, will likely get a favor in return. It isn’t a good or bad thing…. It just is.
Or another example, you take a client out to lunch or dinner. Yes, part of it is building relationships. But another part of it is that you are planning to get some business from this client in return for the lunch. Again, not good or bad. It just is.
Or another example, you are hired for a specific job simply because of the contacts you have in your industry. Because of your contacts, you can open doors that were previously closed to your new company. They are hiring and paying you for your influence. Not good or bad. It just is.
A final example…. The administrative assistant. If you are smart, you never alienate anyone’s assistant. Because, in fact, that assistant is the one that controls the access to the executive -- which is, of course, a form of influence. And believe me, if you piss her off (and yes, it is usually a “her”), you will never get the face time you need with an executive.
Again, it is neither good nor bad. In fact, the assistant is PAID to control access to the executive (among other things, of course). And I’m not dissing this function. If you’ve read my previous post about admins (2-22-10 Did ya notice?), you will realize that I revere the person and the position.
So what can the new/aspiring exec learn from Ms. Ferguson’s problems? Of course, the obvious thing is that you shouldn’t get caught on videotape. Kidding. (Actually I’m not kidding, but dealing with the media is a whole ’nother post.) You should learn that selling influence is common, although perhaps not as crass as her actions. And you should learn that you must not peddle influence dishonestly. And you should learn that influence can appear in the most unlikely positions and locations (like an assistant), so never underestimate the person you are talking to.
Cheers!
For example, our networks are a form of currency. We do a favor for this person, and someday, will likely get a favor in return. It isn’t a good or bad thing…. It just is.
Or another example, you take a client out to lunch or dinner. Yes, part of it is building relationships. But another part of it is that you are planning to get some business from this client in return for the lunch. Again, not good or bad. It just is.
Or another example, you are hired for a specific job simply because of the contacts you have in your industry. Because of your contacts, you can open doors that were previously closed to your new company. They are hiring and paying you for your influence. Not good or bad. It just is.
A final example…. The administrative assistant. If you are smart, you never alienate anyone’s assistant. Because, in fact, that assistant is the one that controls the access to the executive -- which is, of course, a form of influence. And believe me, if you piss her off (and yes, it is usually a “her”), you will never get the face time you need with an executive.
Again, it is neither good nor bad. In fact, the assistant is PAID to control access to the executive (among other things, of course). And I’m not dissing this function. If you’ve read my previous post about admins (2-22-10 Did ya notice?), you will realize that I revere the person and the position.
So what can the new/aspiring exec learn from Ms. Ferguson’s problems? Of course, the obvious thing is that you shouldn’t get caught on videotape. Kidding. (Actually I’m not kidding, but dealing with the media is a whole ’nother post.) You should learn that selling influence is common, although perhaps not as crass as her actions. And you should learn that you must not peddle influence dishonestly. And you should learn that influence can appear in the most unlikely positions and locations (like an assistant), so never underestimate the person you are talking to.
Cheers!
Friday, May 21, 2010
5-21-10 One Year Anniversary
Wow, it was one year ago today that I retired. Hard to believe the time has gone by so quickly. As I was leaving that last day, I remember that I sent my husband a text…. C’est finis (it is finished). What I realize now is that I should have sent him this text instead. Il est juste de commencer (it is just starting).
Okay, so what the heck does this have to do with the new/aspiring executive? Well it opens up the avenue for a discussion about career change, of course. I’d say that I went through a major career change when I retired. And that is added to just a long list of previous career changes. My husband used to tease me that I couldn’t hold a job. And he’s probably right. I’ve worked in five different disciplines over the past 25 or so years (IT, finance, operations, program management, sales and marketing). And within each of those, I held multiple jobs. So it is fair to say that I have a wide range of experience when it comes to career change. And really, what is retirement, if not a career change??
There are plenty of studies out there that talk about how the average worker will make multiple career changes in their work lives. And my own model identifies managing change and ambiguity as a critical executive skill (12-3-09 Morphing to a Model and 1-13-10 Now Go Do Something).
So why does this come to mind now (besides the obvious reason of my anniversary)? I’ve been emailing with one of my previous co-workers and her news seems to have brought the entire subject of career change to the forefront of my mind. She (along with her family) is transferring from the Midwest to the southeastern seaboard. Same company, new position, and really new location. I’d say that qualifies as a major career change! (Good luck, Taylor! I know that you will do just fine!).
I’ve had this career change discussion with many of my co-workers over the years. Here’s how it usually goes. When you get the new assignment, the excitement is very high. How can one NOT be excited about a new job? And for the first month or two in the new position, everything is new and exciting. You are meeting new people, learning new things, etc. Things are looking very rosy.
And then, a month or two into the new assignment, you find yourself thinking…… What WAS I thinking when I accepted this job?! I don’t know anything about this position. You begin doubting your wisdom of accepting the new assignment, doubting your ability to do the job, and doubting your desire to accept the new responsibilities. You may even find yourself wishing for the safety and security of your old job.
You have to push past this. And you will. You likely wouldn’t have gotten the assignment if someone didn’t believe that your skills and abilities were a good fit. You just have to find how those skills and abilities fit within the new context. It comes down to relying on your experience as well as relying on your network to get settled into the new function. In fact, you will likely find that your network is a critical aspect of learning about and successfully executing your new job (1-4-10 Let’s Talk). After about six months or so, you will find that you are wondering why you ever doubted the wisdom of your decision to make the career move. Congratulations. You are well and truly settled into your new assignment.
Cheers!
Okay, so what the heck does this have to do with the new/aspiring executive? Well it opens up the avenue for a discussion about career change, of course. I’d say that I went through a major career change when I retired. And that is added to just a long list of previous career changes. My husband used to tease me that I couldn’t hold a job. And he’s probably right. I’ve worked in five different disciplines over the past 25 or so years (IT, finance, operations, program management, sales and marketing). And within each of those, I held multiple jobs. So it is fair to say that I have a wide range of experience when it comes to career change. And really, what is retirement, if not a career change??
There are plenty of studies out there that talk about how the average worker will make multiple career changes in their work lives. And my own model identifies managing change and ambiguity as a critical executive skill (12-3-09 Morphing to a Model and 1-13-10 Now Go Do Something).
So why does this come to mind now (besides the obvious reason of my anniversary)? I’ve been emailing with one of my previous co-workers and her news seems to have brought the entire subject of career change to the forefront of my mind. She (along with her family) is transferring from the Midwest to the southeastern seaboard. Same company, new position, and really new location. I’d say that qualifies as a major career change! (Good luck, Taylor! I know that you will do just fine!).
I’ve had this career change discussion with many of my co-workers over the years. Here’s how it usually goes. When you get the new assignment, the excitement is very high. How can one NOT be excited about a new job? And for the first month or two in the new position, everything is new and exciting. You are meeting new people, learning new things, etc. Things are looking very rosy.
And then, a month or two into the new assignment, you find yourself thinking…… What WAS I thinking when I accepted this job?! I don’t know anything about this position. You begin doubting your wisdom of accepting the new assignment, doubting your ability to do the job, and doubting your desire to accept the new responsibilities. You may even find yourself wishing for the safety and security of your old job.
You have to push past this. And you will. You likely wouldn’t have gotten the assignment if someone didn’t believe that your skills and abilities were a good fit. You just have to find how those skills and abilities fit within the new context. It comes down to relying on your experience as well as relying on your network to get settled into the new function. In fact, you will likely find that your network is a critical aspect of learning about and successfully executing your new job (1-4-10 Let’s Talk). After about six months or so, you will find that you are wondering why you ever doubted the wisdom of your decision to make the career move. Congratulations. You are well and truly settled into your new assignment.
Cheers!
Monday, May 17, 2010
5-17-10 Personal Impact
For the new or aspiring executive, it is important that you never, and I mean never, underestimate the amount of influence or impact that an executive has.
In looking back at the comments made by my survey participants, I was led down memory lane. When I was first starting out in business as a finance analyst and even once I became a first-level manager, I remember how “in awe” I was of the Finance Director. And how terribly nervous I would be when I was in a meeting where he appeared. And if I was the one giving the presentation? Well, let’s just say that extra-strength antiperspirant was a requirement. I could remind myself that he was just a man…. That he didn’t have any special powers or abilities. But believe me, when he spoke, those of us around him listened. We analyzed his every comment and look. And then took what we believed were the appropriate actions -- or at least what we guessed that he expected.
As I grew into my responsibilities and became more comfortable with my abilities, that nervousness around the boss’ boss’ boss faded. But I will always remember what it felt like. And I swore that I would go out of my way to make sure, as I moved up the corporate ladder, that those around me didn’t feel the same nervousness that I grew up with. In fact, I would take care to remind those folks that I am the very same person that I was before I became an executive.
But I learned, much to my amazement, that no matter how much I believed that I was the same person…. The fact is, people reacted to and treated me differently. Whether we like it or not, there is a “power” that goes with having achieved (or been granted) executive status. You have to remember that, for example, slight “suggestions” that you offer are often seen as “commands”. Or that off-hand comments you make can generate significant consternation in your organization. People are often reluctant to come back to you to clarify your comments. And as a result, they will often take off working on projects or tasks that you never intended and didn’t even want.
The fact is you can create a significant amount of unintended consequence simply by virtue of the position power you wield as an executive. Consider the extra work that you can generate with just a flip remark. Measured comments are particularly important when you are around those that will take every statement you make to heart.,
Cheers!
In looking back at the comments made by my survey participants, I was led down memory lane. When I was first starting out in business as a finance analyst and even once I became a first-level manager, I remember how “in awe” I was of the Finance Director. And how terribly nervous I would be when I was in a meeting where he appeared. And if I was the one giving the presentation? Well, let’s just say that extra-strength antiperspirant was a requirement. I could remind myself that he was just a man…. That he didn’t have any special powers or abilities. But believe me, when he spoke, those of us around him listened. We analyzed his every comment and look. And then took what we believed were the appropriate actions -- or at least what we guessed that he expected.
As I grew into my responsibilities and became more comfortable with my abilities, that nervousness around the boss’ boss’ boss faded. But I will always remember what it felt like. And I swore that I would go out of my way to make sure, as I moved up the corporate ladder, that those around me didn’t feel the same nervousness that I grew up with. In fact, I would take care to remind those folks that I am the very same person that I was before I became an executive.
But I learned, much to my amazement, that no matter how much I believed that I was the same person…. The fact is, people reacted to and treated me differently. Whether we like it or not, there is a “power” that goes with having achieved (or been granted) executive status. You have to remember that, for example, slight “suggestions” that you offer are often seen as “commands”. Or that off-hand comments you make can generate significant consternation in your organization. People are often reluctant to come back to you to clarify your comments. And as a result, they will often take off working on projects or tasks that you never intended and didn’t even want.
The fact is you can create a significant amount of unintended consequence simply by virtue of the position power you wield as an executive. Consider the extra work that you can generate with just a flip remark. Measured comments are particularly important when you are around those that will take every statement you make to heart.,
Cheers!
Friday, May 14, 2010
5-14-10 You Can't Do Everything
Continuing the theme of discussing survey participant extra input and comments…..
One of my participants talked a little about outsourcing. His comment was that his department was utilizing resources from both Russia and India. “Many of our engineers do not like the idea of sending work outside our country (and company!) and are not supporting this effort. Without their engagement, it becomes very difficult to get full potential from foreign partners.”
Okay, yeah, in the US outsourcing has a really bad name. Moving jobs off-shore, and all that. But the fact is there isn’t any company that can do EVERYTHING. In this case, we just couldn’t hire enough engineers (of all types) to get all the work done on a timely basis. So the thinking was, let’s move some of the grunt work, like drafting functions, to off-shore firms. That would free up our very experienced engineers to do the critical functions like stress and design.
But it seemed that no matter how we explained it, our engineers weren’t buying into the concept. And if they don’t buy in, then they don’t provide the guidance and the interface that their foreign counterparts need to do their jobs. And you end up with elegantly designed product that comes out like crap in the drawings. Not a good situation.
So how to solve this problem? Given that there was no choice about outsourcing to foreign firms, there are a couple of potential solutions.
For example, it helps to bring a large cadre of the foreign engineers in-house for an extended period of time. It aids in developing the engineer-to-engineer relationships that are needed for the long haul. After you have set next to and worked directly with someone for the last 4 or 6 months, it is very difficult to ignore their phone calls or requests for information later on. It is all about establishing the one to one relationships.
Another solution is to recruit a senior engineer and place him/her in country with the contract firm. This person then becomes the liaison between the engineers at home and the engineers in the foreign organization. It has to be a senior engineer…. One that has not only the technical experience but also has the network of contacts throughout the home organization. He/she then uses these established home office relationships to get the data and information that the contract firm needs to be successful.
You’ll notice that both solutions are all about relationships. Probably the first solution is better than the second in terms of relationships. This is simply because it establishes multiple person-to-person relationships between the organizations rather than a single conduit between organizations. However, both are viable alternatives to those times where your organization just can’t do everything.
Cheers!
One of my participants talked a little about outsourcing. His comment was that his department was utilizing resources from both Russia and India. “Many of our engineers do not like the idea of sending work outside our country (and company!) and are not supporting this effort. Without their engagement, it becomes very difficult to get full potential from foreign partners.”
Okay, yeah, in the US outsourcing has a really bad name. Moving jobs off-shore, and all that. But the fact is there isn’t any company that can do EVERYTHING. In this case, we just couldn’t hire enough engineers (of all types) to get all the work done on a timely basis. So the thinking was, let’s move some of the grunt work, like drafting functions, to off-shore firms. That would free up our very experienced engineers to do the critical functions like stress and design.
But it seemed that no matter how we explained it, our engineers weren’t buying into the concept. And if they don’t buy in, then they don’t provide the guidance and the interface that their foreign counterparts need to do their jobs. And you end up with elegantly designed product that comes out like crap in the drawings. Not a good situation.
So how to solve this problem? Given that there was no choice about outsourcing to foreign firms, there are a couple of potential solutions.
For example, it helps to bring a large cadre of the foreign engineers in-house for an extended period of time. It aids in developing the engineer-to-engineer relationships that are needed for the long haul. After you have set next to and worked directly with someone for the last 4 or 6 months, it is very difficult to ignore their phone calls or requests for information later on. It is all about establishing the one to one relationships.
Another solution is to recruit a senior engineer and place him/her in country with the contract firm. This person then becomes the liaison between the engineers at home and the engineers in the foreign organization. It has to be a senior engineer…. One that has not only the technical experience but also has the network of contacts throughout the home organization. He/she then uses these established home office relationships to get the data and information that the contract firm needs to be successful.
You’ll notice that both solutions are all about relationships. Probably the first solution is better than the second in terms of relationships. This is simply because it establishes multiple person-to-person relationships between the organizations rather than a single conduit between organizations. However, both are viable alternatives to those times where your organization just can’t do everything.
Cheers!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
4-7-10 Open Door
In continuing to re-read the comments provided by my survey participants, I came across another interesting one……
In talking about the Communication Executive Skills, this participant said that the executive should “maintain an open door to all levels within the business”. Okay, I get that. You have to be open to communication with your staff, your peers, and your bosses. But my train of thought actually took off on a completely different direction when I pondered that input from my survey. Here’s where I went……
What does your office or your work space say about you? Specifically, does your office or work space give off the “vibes” that you are open and willing to talk. Or more importantly, listen?
You may think I’m a real dork for asking these types of questions, but if you really think about it, you will know what I mean. I’m sure that you have been into one of those offices where you didn’t feel comfortable and didn’t feel welcome. Wasn’t it difficult to communicate with that kind of feeling hanging over you?
Now, I’m not a designer and I’m not a feng shui expert. But I do know what makes me feel comfortable in an office. And I believe that if I am comfortable in my own workspace, my guests will be comfortable as well.
No matter the location of my workspace (be it factory or office building), I always tried to make it feel like home. How? The next time you are sitting in your living room, look around. What makes it comfortable? Once you have identified that, then think about how you can take that element to your office.
Some of the things I incorporated? Table lamps. Yep, I always had one on my credenza (and end table, if I had one). And I always had it on. The ambient light that it added warmed up the space.
And if at all possible, my desk was always set on a slant. No right angles. Why? It made me seem more approachable when I was sitting behind the desk.
Oh, and a couch. Huh? Yep, I really mean a couch. And if I didn’t have much space, the obligatory table and chairs always gave way to the couch and an end table. Why? Because, a couch is way more comfortable than an office chair. I always had a fair amount of reading to do in most of my jobs. Why not be comfortable while I was at it? But more importantly, sitting on a couch for a conversation or a meeting made my guests more comfortable.
What else? Just some of the little touches. Like nice artwork. Like meaningful tchotchkes scattered around. And finally, something that makes the place smell nice (but NOT overwhelming -- unless you work in a perfume factory).
So now you think I’m completely nuts. Perhaps you are right. But hopefully you might have noticed that I subscribe to the theory that the more comfortable a guest is, the more likely we are to have a fruitful conversation.
And once you realize that….. the next time you walk into your office, or one of your peers offices, or your boss’ office, think about how it feels. And more importantly, think about how it makes a guest feel.
Cheers!
In talking about the Communication Executive Skills, this participant said that the executive should “maintain an open door to all levels within the business”. Okay, I get that. You have to be open to communication with your staff, your peers, and your bosses. But my train of thought actually took off on a completely different direction when I pondered that input from my survey. Here’s where I went……
What does your office or your work space say about you? Specifically, does your office or work space give off the “vibes” that you are open and willing to talk. Or more importantly, listen?
You may think I’m a real dork for asking these types of questions, but if you really think about it, you will know what I mean. I’m sure that you have been into one of those offices where you didn’t feel comfortable and didn’t feel welcome. Wasn’t it difficult to communicate with that kind of feeling hanging over you?
Now, I’m not a designer and I’m not a feng shui expert. But I do know what makes me feel comfortable in an office. And I believe that if I am comfortable in my own workspace, my guests will be comfortable as well.
No matter the location of my workspace (be it factory or office building), I always tried to make it feel like home. How? The next time you are sitting in your living room, look around. What makes it comfortable? Once you have identified that, then think about how you can take that element to your office.
Some of the things I incorporated? Table lamps. Yep, I always had one on my credenza (and end table, if I had one). And I always had it on. The ambient light that it added warmed up the space.
And if at all possible, my desk was always set on a slant. No right angles. Why? It made me seem more approachable when I was sitting behind the desk.
Oh, and a couch. Huh? Yep, I really mean a couch. And if I didn’t have much space, the obligatory table and chairs always gave way to the couch and an end table. Why? Because, a couch is way more comfortable than an office chair. I always had a fair amount of reading to do in most of my jobs. Why not be comfortable while I was at it? But more importantly, sitting on a couch for a conversation or a meeting made my guests more comfortable.
What else? Just some of the little touches. Like nice artwork. Like meaningful tchotchkes scattered around. And finally, something that makes the place smell nice (but NOT overwhelming -- unless you work in a perfume factory).
So now you think I’m completely nuts. Perhaps you are right. But hopefully you might have noticed that I subscribe to the theory that the more comfortable a guest is, the more likely we are to have a fruitful conversation.
And once you realize that….. the next time you walk into your office, or one of your peers offices, or your boss’ office, think about how it feels. And more importantly, think about how it makes a guest feel.
Cheers!
Monday, March 29, 2010
3-29-10 Tornado!
As I type this, the tornado sirens are going off. Yes, I live smack in the middle of tornado alley. And no, there is not a tornado on the way. Every Monday at noon (weather permitting, of course), the tornado sirens sound off all over our community (and in many of the businesses as well). Why? Well, what good is an emergency system that doesn’t work when you need it? So, each week, we test our system to ensure that it works properly.
So what the heck does a tornado siren have to do with the executive? Emergency preparedness is something that every executive should give some thought to. I realize in my last post about disaster preparedness, I didn’t do a very good job of tying it to the model for executive skills and traits (3-1-10 Earthquakes and Such). And, if you will remember from the executive skills and traits model, within the execution function, there are several relevant skills….. Manage change and ambiguity; Manage fragmentation and rapid pace; Delegation (1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!).
Certainly, in a disaster, you will be managing at a very rapid pace. As the disaster unfolds, you will feel as though you need to be many places at once. And while you can accomplish a lot on your own, you definitely need to have done some prior delegation so that others on your team are effectively executing their part of the plan.
The information you will be getting is going to undoubtedly be fragmented and oftentimes, will be ambiguous. You can’t wait to have perfect data in a disaster. But you can take a moment to do an internal evaluation of the pieces of data. Tuck away those datum that your gut or your brain tells you aren’t relevant for the moment. And then act on the data that you believe is relevant.
Ultimately, in a disaster mode, you are managing change. If you have done your preparations, the change won’t be easy, but it can be manageable.
Of course, many of the other executive skills and traits will come into play as your particular disaster unfolds. You will be called on to communicate both internally and externally. Your people skills will be tested. And your strategy skills, if you have taken the time to put together a disaster recovery strategy, will certainly be demonstrated.
One final word on disaster preparedness and recovery. As I said in my previous post on the subject, you WILL have to deal will a disaster sooner or later. In addition to having a plan or strategy, you have to practice. Remember those fire drills in school? Well, yes, they were important. So important, that you should have translated that practice to your business.
And to answer your question….. Yes, I’ve lived all my life in Kansas. And no, I’ve never seen a tornado on the ground. But, yes, I’ve dealt with the aftermath of one at work. It isn’t fun. But it is survivable.
Cheers!
So what the heck does a tornado siren have to do with the executive? Emergency preparedness is something that every executive should give some thought to. I realize in my last post about disaster preparedness, I didn’t do a very good job of tying it to the model for executive skills and traits (3-1-10 Earthquakes and Such). And, if you will remember from the executive skills and traits model, within the execution function, there are several relevant skills….. Manage change and ambiguity; Manage fragmentation and rapid pace; Delegation (1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!).
Certainly, in a disaster, you will be managing at a very rapid pace. As the disaster unfolds, you will feel as though you need to be many places at once. And while you can accomplish a lot on your own, you definitely need to have done some prior delegation so that others on your team are effectively executing their part of the plan.
The information you will be getting is going to undoubtedly be fragmented and oftentimes, will be ambiguous. You can’t wait to have perfect data in a disaster. But you can take a moment to do an internal evaluation of the pieces of data. Tuck away those datum that your gut or your brain tells you aren’t relevant for the moment. And then act on the data that you believe is relevant.
Ultimately, in a disaster mode, you are managing change. If you have done your preparations, the change won’t be easy, but it can be manageable.
Of course, many of the other executive skills and traits will come into play as your particular disaster unfolds. You will be called on to communicate both internally and externally. Your people skills will be tested. And your strategy skills, if you have taken the time to put together a disaster recovery strategy, will certainly be demonstrated.
One final word on disaster preparedness and recovery. As I said in my previous post on the subject, you WILL have to deal will a disaster sooner or later. In addition to having a plan or strategy, you have to practice. Remember those fire drills in school? Well, yes, they were important. So important, that you should have translated that practice to your business.
And to answer your question….. Yes, I’ve lived all my life in Kansas. And no, I’ve never seen a tornado on the ground. But, yes, I’ve dealt with the aftermath of one at work. It isn’t fun. But it is survivable.
Cheers!
Friday, March 26, 2010
3-26-10 To Curse or Not to Curse
There is a bit of controversy here in the Midwest. Yea, I know, what could be controversial in the middle of the US, right? If you have been following the men’s NCAA basketball extravaganza, you will know that K-State is one of the teams that have advanced to the final 8. Of course, one controversy is that KU didn’t make it in the tourney --- but I’m not here to talk about that one today. The controversy I’m talking about centers around K-State coach Frank Martin. And the controversy is his cursing.
There has been a fair amount of coverage here relative to how much he curses during a game…. At his players, at the refs, at the fans, etc. In fact, one fan had made the trek to OKC to watch K-State in action…. And left at the half because he didn’t want to expose his family to the cursing anymore. Of course, it is hard for me to imagine anyone as bad as the infamous Bobby Knight, but apparently this guy really gets to some of the folks around here. His players, on the other hand, don’t seem to be phased by his choice of words. Heck, you even see news reports of them parodying his antics.
You are thinking, yea, so what -- I don’t watch basketball and I don’t care about K-State -- why the heck are you even bringing this up, Dr. J???
Well, here’s why. As an executive, how you speak IS important. It is one of the critical skills in the Executive Skills and Traits model that I discussed some time back (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model and 1-4-10 Let's Talk).
As an executive, is it ever okay to curse? Surprisingly, I think the answer is yes. Here are a few of my observations/experiences.
I noticed that when I was a factory executive, I tended to use more swear words in my everyday conversation. Frankly, I didn’t realize I was doing it until later. But upon reflection, I realize that I was echoing the language around me. When I was a staff executive, I tended to use swear words sparingly. Again, echoing the language around me. So one observation is that the use of swearing is situational. It depends on those around you, and of course, on your personality as well.
Another experience concerns one of my bosses in the past. This guy was truly a gentleman. He didn’t arm wave, he didn’t scream, he didn’t belittle people, and he didn’t swear. Most days. But when he did, it got everyone’s attention. Because it was so out of character for him, we all knew that something was very wrong or he was very upset when one small swear word would slip into his conversation. So another observation is that the judicious use of cursing can have an impact. In this executive’s case, it made everyone sit up and take notice. Once he had their attention and made them realize the criticality of the issue, he was able to lead the group to the solution required.
One final observation. Some words are NEVER okay. I’m not going to iterate them here because I try very hard not to use them, ever. But you know damn well what I’m talking about. (Get the point?) And it is NEVER okay to direct your cursing at a specific person. Abusiveness is not a hallmark that you want to be known for.
So as an executive, do you HAVE to use swear words? Nope, you just must do what is comfortable for you.
Cheers!
There has been a fair amount of coverage here relative to how much he curses during a game…. At his players, at the refs, at the fans, etc. In fact, one fan had made the trek to OKC to watch K-State in action…. And left at the half because he didn’t want to expose his family to the cursing anymore. Of course, it is hard for me to imagine anyone as bad as the infamous Bobby Knight, but apparently this guy really gets to some of the folks around here. His players, on the other hand, don’t seem to be phased by his choice of words. Heck, you even see news reports of them parodying his antics.
You are thinking, yea, so what -- I don’t watch basketball and I don’t care about K-State -- why the heck are you even bringing this up, Dr. J???
Well, here’s why. As an executive, how you speak IS important. It is one of the critical skills in the Executive Skills and Traits model that I discussed some time back (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model and 1-4-10 Let's Talk).
As an executive, is it ever okay to curse? Surprisingly, I think the answer is yes. Here are a few of my observations/experiences.
I noticed that when I was a factory executive, I tended to use more swear words in my everyday conversation. Frankly, I didn’t realize I was doing it until later. But upon reflection, I realize that I was echoing the language around me. When I was a staff executive, I tended to use swear words sparingly. Again, echoing the language around me. So one observation is that the use of swearing is situational. It depends on those around you, and of course, on your personality as well.
Another experience concerns one of my bosses in the past. This guy was truly a gentleman. He didn’t arm wave, he didn’t scream, he didn’t belittle people, and he didn’t swear. Most days. But when he did, it got everyone’s attention. Because it was so out of character for him, we all knew that something was very wrong or he was very upset when one small swear word would slip into his conversation. So another observation is that the judicious use of cursing can have an impact. In this executive’s case, it made everyone sit up and take notice. Once he had their attention and made them realize the criticality of the issue, he was able to lead the group to the solution required.
One final observation. Some words are NEVER okay. I’m not going to iterate them here because I try very hard not to use them, ever. But you know damn well what I’m talking about. (Get the point?) And it is NEVER okay to direct your cursing at a specific person. Abusiveness is not a hallmark that you want to be known for.
So as an executive, do you HAVE to use swear words? Nope, you just must do what is comfortable for you.
Cheers!
Friday, March 12, 2010
3-12-10 Yea, there is a presentation for that.
Unless you are a hermit and work alone, you have probably made at least one presentation in your career. And if you work for a large corporation, it is likely that very little gets done without a presentation attached to it. If you are an executive or aspiring executive, you’ve made countless presentations. How’d that go? Are you any good at it? If you don’t think that you are very good at it, then it is highly likely that others hold this same opinion. Perhaps it is time to do something about that.
One of the skills in the model I created pertains directly to presentations (1-4-10 Let’s Talk). Public speaking is a critical skill for the executive. As I indicated in this earlier post, many times the new executive has been promoted because of (at least in part) his/her speaking skill.
Public speaking doesn’t just include your ability to get up in front of a group of people and give a pitch, although that IS a critical piece. It also includes your ability to craft the content of the pitch such that it fits with the topic and the audience. It includes your ability to monitor the room and alter your presentation on the fly so that you don’t lose your audience. And it is also your ability to “close the deal” when your pitch is over.
So what about that content? In my opinion, less is more. How many times have you endured a meeting that was nothing but “death by presentation”? Did you get anything out of it -- except a nap with your eyes open?? A very wise mentor once told me that my presentations should never take more than 5 slides, and never have more than 5 bullet points on each slide. In fact, one slide with 5 bullets for the entire pitch is ideal. If you can’t talk for 30 minutes off of 5 bullet points, then you don’t know your topic well enough. Try again. And remember, you don’t have to put every darned thing that you are going to say on the page. When you do, people read ahead and you lose your audience. Put the salient points on the slide and then TALK the details.
Yea, I know that there are exceptions to the “content rule” that I’ve lived by. Technical presentations, by nature, tend to be longer and have more information on the slides. But as an executive, your job is to pare this down to the pertinent information for the audience.
Don’t know your audience? Again, err on the side of “less is more”. If you aren’t giving them the information they need, you will see it during the presentation.
Which brings me to “reading the audience” during a presentation. You absolutely must pay attention to what your audience is telling you, either with their questions or with their body language. Notice that I did not say, “reading to the audience”. Do not, and I really mean this, DO NOT read every bullet point on every one of your slides. This is insulting. The people you are presenting to very likely know how to read. They don’t need you to do that for them.
Part of reading your audience includes checking to see if they are paying attention. Is everyone doing the “blackberry prayer”? You know, where they hold their blackberry below the table, looking down to read and type….. If so, you really need to get their attention back. Silent pauses are a very good tool. If there is silence, people reflexively look up to see what is going on.
What about your presentation habits? Have you checked lately to see if you have developed any bad habits --- like jingling your change in your pocket (a real pet peeve of mine), or saying “um” or “like” every other sentence? How about your tone of voice --- is it grating? Patronizing? Do you move around the front of the room or are you glued to a podium? You really need a trusted friend or advisor watch you give a presentation occasionally and then give you honest feedback. Not always easy to hear, but helpful nonetheless.
And finally, you need to be able to “close the deal”. There must be a purpose to your presentation, right? You need approval, you need action, you need something. One of the very first things that you should tell your audience is “I’m here because I need this approval” or “I’m just sharing information” or “I need your help with this”. Tell them up front why they are there.
And then at the end of your presentation, go back to this slide. Do you know who the decision maker(s) in the room are? Look directly at them as ask for the approval or action or whatever. People don’t often say yes unless someone takes the time to ask. Most times you will get what you need at this point. And even if you don’t, you have started the conversation that will get you one step closer to what you need.
Cheers!
One of the skills in the model I created pertains directly to presentations (1-4-10 Let’s Talk). Public speaking is a critical skill for the executive. As I indicated in this earlier post, many times the new executive has been promoted because of (at least in part) his/her speaking skill.
Public speaking doesn’t just include your ability to get up in front of a group of people and give a pitch, although that IS a critical piece. It also includes your ability to craft the content of the pitch such that it fits with the topic and the audience. It includes your ability to monitor the room and alter your presentation on the fly so that you don’t lose your audience. And it is also your ability to “close the deal” when your pitch is over.
So what about that content? In my opinion, less is more. How many times have you endured a meeting that was nothing but “death by presentation”? Did you get anything out of it -- except a nap with your eyes open?? A very wise mentor once told me that my presentations should never take more than 5 slides, and never have more than 5 bullet points on each slide. In fact, one slide with 5 bullets for the entire pitch is ideal. If you can’t talk for 30 minutes off of 5 bullet points, then you don’t know your topic well enough. Try again. And remember, you don’t have to put every darned thing that you are going to say on the page. When you do, people read ahead and you lose your audience. Put the salient points on the slide and then TALK the details.
Yea, I know that there are exceptions to the “content rule” that I’ve lived by. Technical presentations, by nature, tend to be longer and have more information on the slides. But as an executive, your job is to pare this down to the pertinent information for the audience.
Don’t know your audience? Again, err on the side of “less is more”. If you aren’t giving them the information they need, you will see it during the presentation.
Which brings me to “reading the audience” during a presentation. You absolutely must pay attention to what your audience is telling you, either with their questions or with their body language. Notice that I did not say, “reading to the audience”. Do not, and I really mean this, DO NOT read every bullet point on every one of your slides. This is insulting. The people you are presenting to very likely know how to read. They don’t need you to do that for them.
Part of reading your audience includes checking to see if they are paying attention. Is everyone doing the “blackberry prayer”? You know, where they hold their blackberry below the table, looking down to read and type….. If so, you really need to get their attention back. Silent pauses are a very good tool. If there is silence, people reflexively look up to see what is going on.
What about your presentation habits? Have you checked lately to see if you have developed any bad habits --- like jingling your change in your pocket (a real pet peeve of mine), or saying “um” or “like” every other sentence? How about your tone of voice --- is it grating? Patronizing? Do you move around the front of the room or are you glued to a podium? You really need a trusted friend or advisor watch you give a presentation occasionally and then give you honest feedback. Not always easy to hear, but helpful nonetheless.
And finally, you need to be able to “close the deal”. There must be a purpose to your presentation, right? You need approval, you need action, you need something. One of the very first things that you should tell your audience is “I’m here because I need this approval” or “I’m just sharing information” or “I need your help with this”. Tell them up front why they are there.
And then at the end of your presentation, go back to this slide. Do you know who the decision maker(s) in the room are? Look directly at them as ask for the approval or action or whatever. People don’t often say yes unless someone takes the time to ask. Most times you will get what you need at this point. And even if you don’t, you have started the conversation that will get you one step closer to what you need.
Cheers!
Monday, February 15, 2010
2-15-10 The President
Happy President’s Day! This holiday has me pondering the whole idea of being a president. I’ve always wondered why anyone would want to be the President of the United States. And if I separate the policies from the person, I’ve always admired those folks that actually have the fortitude to be the President.
And while most of us will never be the President of the United States, or a president of a company, or even a president of a local special interest group (think president of the knitting circle) --- there are things that we can all learn by watching these presidents. And I’m NOT talking politics here!
If you go back to my model of executive skills and traits (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model), you can see that any of these presidential position holders exhibit most, if not all, of these skills and traits. But today, some stand out in my mind.
First, in order to become a president, you have to set a vision for whatever organization or group you want to lead (1-8-10 I Have a Dream). Our presidential campaigns do a great job of giving the candidates the opportunity to lay out this vision. (Even though we all get REALLY tired of the campaign by the time elections finally roll around!) For the president in the corporate world, setting the vision is probably the most important function that this particular executive will perform.
Second, the president is ALWAYS under the microscope or in the glare of the media (2-10-10 A Fine Line). As a president of a nation or even a president of a company, you can never separate your personal life from your public life. You are always “on”. No doubt that this can be wearing to the individual. But, in the case of our President, it is a choice that he has made…. And has to deal with.
Third, when you are president, everyone is a critic and an expert on your job. You have to work with supporters and detractors. You can’t ignore either of them as both sides are required to make your vision come true. You must have a network that you can go to in order to put the policies and decisions in place. As president, you aren’t the “doer” of the organization or the nation. The executive execution skills are critical here (1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!) as are the networking skills (1-4-10 Let’s Talk).
And finally, as president of anything, don’t expect immediate satisfaction. It isn’t like being the mechanic that builds a 737 every 6 hours. The president of an organization can’t expect to see results in the short-term. He/she can only be persistent (1-18-10 Executive Traits) and follow his/her vision. And if fortunate, will see the results by the end of his/her term.
So while most of us will never be a president, we can definitely learn something from observing the President of the United States, the president of a company, or even the president of our homeowner’s association. And even better, we can take those learnings and apply it to our own executive position.
Cheers!
And while most of us will never be the President of the United States, or a president of a company, or even a president of a local special interest group (think president of the knitting circle) --- there are things that we can all learn by watching these presidents. And I’m NOT talking politics here!
If you go back to my model of executive skills and traits (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model), you can see that any of these presidential position holders exhibit most, if not all, of these skills and traits. But today, some stand out in my mind.
First, in order to become a president, you have to set a vision for whatever organization or group you want to lead (1-8-10 I Have a Dream). Our presidential campaigns do a great job of giving the candidates the opportunity to lay out this vision. (Even though we all get REALLY tired of the campaign by the time elections finally roll around!) For the president in the corporate world, setting the vision is probably the most important function that this particular executive will perform.
Second, the president is ALWAYS under the microscope or in the glare of the media (2-10-10 A Fine Line). As a president of a nation or even a president of a company, you can never separate your personal life from your public life. You are always “on”. No doubt that this can be wearing to the individual. But, in the case of our President, it is a choice that he has made…. And has to deal with.
Third, when you are president, everyone is a critic and an expert on your job. You have to work with supporters and detractors. You can’t ignore either of them as both sides are required to make your vision come true. You must have a network that you can go to in order to put the policies and decisions in place. As president, you aren’t the “doer” of the organization or the nation. The executive execution skills are critical here (1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!) as are the networking skills (1-4-10 Let’s Talk).
And finally, as president of anything, don’t expect immediate satisfaction. It isn’t like being the mechanic that builds a 737 every 6 hours. The president of an organization can’t expect to see results in the short-term. He/she can only be persistent (1-18-10 Executive Traits) and follow his/her vision. And if fortunate, will see the results by the end of his/her term.
So while most of us will never be a president, we can definitely learn something from observing the President of the United States, the president of a company, or even the president of our homeowner’s association. And even better, we can take those learnings and apply it to our own executive position.
Cheers!
Friday, February 5, 2010
2-5-10 The Executive Sleuth
I’ve been reading a fair amount of fiction here lately. Yea, when you are retired, you actually DO have time to read. It’s wonderful. Anyway, I seem to be stuck on murder mysteries lately. But not just any type….. Only the ones where the featured character is an amateur or unwilling or even inept sleuth. Think Janet Evanovich or Susan Wittig Albert.
At the gym today, I was pondering the correlation of the sleuth to the executive. Believe me, at the gym, you can make any kind of connection just to make the time pass more quickly! And I realized that there are a few intersections between what one of the amateur sleuths do in my books with what an executive does in real life.
For example, in the books, the amateur sleuth works very hard to gather what seems to be random bits of information. There are two key elements here…. The amateur sleuth works hard by communicating (1-4-10 Let‘s Talk). More specifically polling her network of informants, listening to what they have to say, and filing the info away for future use. This is what an executive does, both in problem-solving mode and in day-to-day activities.
The second key element is random bits of information. I mean, really, in those books the amateur sleuth is bombarded by seeming random bits of data that she will ultimately use to solve the murder. And while an executive rarely has to solve a murder, he/she is bombarded with random bits of data all day long. The issue for the executive is to synthesize the data such that it is meaningful and useful in the business (1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!)
Another intersection between the amateur sleuth and the executive is less obvious. Oftentimes, in my mystery books, the sleuth will simply blunder into information that she doesn’t want to know (TMI!), or into a situation where she doesn’t want to be, or even blunder into the “aha” moment where she unmasks the killer.
Unfortunately, we executives often blunder into things as well. Despite what some would have you believe, executives aren’t perfect. Just listen to the media! It’s what we do with our blunders that make a difference between a successful executive and one that isn’t. Let’s say you blunder into some adverse information about a co-worker or a customer or a supplier. What do you do about? In my experience, most executives stick their head in the sand and ignore it. Is that the right thing to do? Well, it depends on the information. Some information is best ignored. But other information, that say, impacts your company, must be acted upon. Many execs don’t have the nerve to do this.
A final observation about the sleuth in my books. Since a good, satisfying read is a requirement for these books, the amateur sleuth always pulls together the random data, which leads to the culprit and neatly solves the crime by the end of the book. Unfortunately, for the executive, it isn’t usually that neat. Business is messy. The data doesn’t always lead us the right direction. Our gut instincts sometimes fail us. And at the end of the day, we don’t always solve the mystery or problem. But that’s okay, because real life in business isn’t fiction!
Cheers!
At the gym today, I was pondering the correlation of the sleuth to the executive. Believe me, at the gym, you can make any kind of connection just to make the time pass more quickly! And I realized that there are a few intersections between what one of the amateur sleuths do in my books with what an executive does in real life.
For example, in the books, the amateur sleuth works very hard to gather what seems to be random bits of information. There are two key elements here…. The amateur sleuth works hard by communicating (1-4-10 Let‘s Talk). More specifically polling her network of informants, listening to what they have to say, and filing the info away for future use. This is what an executive does, both in problem-solving mode and in day-to-day activities.
The second key element is random bits of information. I mean, really, in those books the amateur sleuth is bombarded by seeming random bits of data that she will ultimately use to solve the murder. And while an executive rarely has to solve a murder, he/she is bombarded with random bits of data all day long. The issue for the executive is to synthesize the data such that it is meaningful and useful in the business (1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!)
Another intersection between the amateur sleuth and the executive is less obvious. Oftentimes, in my mystery books, the sleuth will simply blunder into information that she doesn’t want to know (TMI!), or into a situation where she doesn’t want to be, or even blunder into the “aha” moment where she unmasks the killer.
Unfortunately, we executives often blunder into things as well. Despite what some would have you believe, executives aren’t perfect. Just listen to the media! It’s what we do with our blunders that make a difference between a successful executive and one that isn’t. Let’s say you blunder into some adverse information about a co-worker or a customer or a supplier. What do you do about? In my experience, most executives stick their head in the sand and ignore it. Is that the right thing to do? Well, it depends on the information. Some information is best ignored. But other information, that say, impacts your company, must be acted upon. Many execs don’t have the nerve to do this.
A final observation about the sleuth in my books. Since a good, satisfying read is a requirement for these books, the amateur sleuth always pulls together the random data, which leads to the culprit and neatly solves the crime by the end of the book. Unfortunately, for the executive, it isn’t usually that neat. Business is messy. The data doesn’t always lead us the right direction. Our gut instincts sometimes fail us. And at the end of the day, we don’t always solve the mystery or problem. But that’s okay, because real life in business isn’t fiction!
Cheers!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
1-20-10 Questions, Questions……
Okay, now you have seen the whole model that I developed for Executive Skills and Traits.
I’ve talked about the executive functions related to communication, people, vision, and execution --- as well as the skills needed for each. I’ve also chatted about the executive traits show in the model.
If you would like to re-look at each of the posts, here are some links.
12-30-09 Morphing to a Model
1-4-10 Let’s Talk
1-6-10 People…. Yep ya gotta have some skills
1-8-10 I have a dream
1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!
1-18-10 Executive Traits
So now, I would love to hear from you…
1. Did anything in the model strike a chord with you?
2. How does this model fit with your industry?
3. If you are currently an executive, how does this fit with what you experienced?
4. If you are an aspiring executive, what is the “scariest” part of the model?
5. If you are an observer of the corporate life, what do you think?
Let the conversation begin……..
Cheers!
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