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 Execution Skills. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Execution Skills. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
8-17-10 Discovering Limits
One of my nieces is visiting this week (love you, Kaitlyn!). She just turned 21. Ahhh to be young….. Actually, now that I think about it, not really. But it does bring back memories of discovering my limits when I was around that age.
Things like: How much autonomy do I really have from my parents? How much can I drink? How much studying do I really need to do for that test? How much can I work and still be able to go to school? At that age, there are all sorts of limits to be discovered.
As a new executive, you have a similar road to travel on discovering your limits. Of course, if you are an executive, you have already spent a fair amount of time defining and discovering the limits around your career. But as you transition to the executive payroll, there are new limits to discover.
For example, you will have to discover how much authority you actually have. Intuitively you know that you are granted additional authorities when you are promoted. The problem is…. How much? Unfortunately you will only discover the answer to this question by trial and error. Yes, you can define authority limits with your boss up front. But believe me, things change. You can make a decision one day that you believe is wholly within the limits of your authority…. Only to be chastised by your boss the next day for doing it. The limits probably didn’t shift overnight. Instead you and your boss didn’t clearly delineate all limits. Not surprising, as it would be impossible to do.
You will find many more instances of defining limits as you progress in your executive career. Fortunately, unlike the 21 year old discovering the limits of alcohol, you won’t likely face a life-threatening situation. However, you will face many career-threatening situations.
My advice? Be deliberate. Think your choices through. Don’t back away from the perceived limit. But don’t barge ahead with your head down and your senses shut off.
Cheers!
Things like: How much autonomy do I really have from my parents? How much can I drink? How much studying do I really need to do for that test? How much can I work and still be able to go to school? At that age, there are all sorts of limits to be discovered.
As a new executive, you have a similar road to travel on discovering your limits. Of course, if you are an executive, you have already spent a fair amount of time defining and discovering the limits around your career. But as you transition to the executive payroll, there are new limits to discover.
For example, you will have to discover how much authority you actually have. Intuitively you know that you are granted additional authorities when you are promoted. The problem is…. How much? Unfortunately you will only discover the answer to this question by trial and error. Yes, you can define authority limits with your boss up front. But believe me, things change. You can make a decision one day that you believe is wholly within the limits of your authority…. Only to be chastised by your boss the next day for doing it. The limits probably didn’t shift overnight. Instead you and your boss didn’t clearly delineate all limits. Not surprising, as it would be impossible to do.
You will find many more instances of defining limits as you progress in your executive career. Fortunately, unlike the 21 year old discovering the limits of alcohol, you won’t likely face a life-threatening situation. However, you will face many career-threatening situations.
My advice? Be deliberate. Think your choices through. Don’t back away from the perceived limit. But don’t barge ahead with your head down and your senses shut off.
Cheers!
Friday, August 13, 2010
8-13-10 Don't Eat That June Bug
My dog seems to be a real aficionado of the June bugs that are plentiful here in the Midwest. The unfortunate thing about that (other than the very obvious ick factor) is that every time she eats them, she ralphs them right back up. Sigh. You would think that she would’ve learned her lesson after the first time or two. But noooo, that would be way too easy on the dog parents.
At this point, you are either really grossed out or wondering, “what in the hell does this have to do with the executive?!”. Or both.
Can’t help you with the grossed out part. But I can shed some light on what this means for the exec.
Have you ever heard the adage about the definition of insanity? Where someone keeps doing the same thing over and over -- expecting new or different results?
Well, while I can’t vouch for my dog wanting different results after eating the June bugs (altho’ I would like it), I can vouch for the fact that the executive often does the same thing over and over -- and truly expects different results.
Why do we execs do this? I think that it has to do with what worked in the past. We’ve found a process for problem-solving that has gotten us out of sticky situations before. Why not just apply it every time we get into a sticky situation?
In fact, organizations often encourage this kind of behavior. How? By sending in the same trouble-shooting team over and over. You’ve seen the routine. A program or a project falls deeper and deeper over cost or further and further behind schedule. The team in place can’t seem to turn the tide. So the senior execs put their heads together and decide to throw a tiger team at it. And who do they pick? It is always the same people. (Typically the ones that kick ass and take no prisoners -- but that’s another story.) You could write a script for what this tiger team will do, if you have watched them in action before -- because you can bet that they will do the same exact things.
Do they succeed? Sometimes, yes. Sometimes, no. Isn’t it a good thing when they do? Well, yes. Maybe.
The unfortunate thing about this approach is that the tiger team is trying to force a standard process or answer on a variety of problems.
In reality, what the executive team should be doing is putting their execution skills to use (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model and 1-3-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!). You are being paid to lead your organization. In order to do this you need to analyze the situation, gather the appropriate data, synthesize the information, determine a path, and lead your team in the resolution. You have to deal with the fragmentation of the problem. You have to deal with the ambiguity inherent in the information you gather. In short, you are managing change -- often at a breakneck pace.
Because things are moving so fast or because the situation is dire, you will be tempted to trot out your “typical” solution -- one that has worked in the past. This may or may not be right. But you can be sure that it won’t be tailored to your current situation. And by following a “typical” path, you will likely end up with a less than optimal resolution.
Don’t get me wrong --- your past successes (and failures) are important. They inform your capabilities. You can use this experience as part of the data you take in during your analysis.
Just make sure that you aren’t applying the insanity rule in your day-to-day activities. Figure out what should be done in this moment --- not what you’ve done in the past.
Cheers!
At this point, you are either really grossed out or wondering, “what in the hell does this have to do with the executive?!”. Or both.
Can’t help you with the grossed out part. But I can shed some light on what this means for the exec.
Have you ever heard the adage about the definition of insanity? Where someone keeps doing the same thing over and over -- expecting new or different results?
Well, while I can’t vouch for my dog wanting different results after eating the June bugs (altho’ I would like it), I can vouch for the fact that the executive often does the same thing over and over -- and truly expects different results.
Why do we execs do this? I think that it has to do with what worked in the past. We’ve found a process for problem-solving that has gotten us out of sticky situations before. Why not just apply it every time we get into a sticky situation?
In fact, organizations often encourage this kind of behavior. How? By sending in the same trouble-shooting team over and over. You’ve seen the routine. A program or a project falls deeper and deeper over cost or further and further behind schedule. The team in place can’t seem to turn the tide. So the senior execs put their heads together and decide to throw a tiger team at it. And who do they pick? It is always the same people. (Typically the ones that kick ass and take no prisoners -- but that’s another story.) You could write a script for what this tiger team will do, if you have watched them in action before -- because you can bet that they will do the same exact things.
Do they succeed? Sometimes, yes. Sometimes, no. Isn’t it a good thing when they do? Well, yes. Maybe.
The unfortunate thing about this approach is that the tiger team is trying to force a standard process or answer on a variety of problems.
In reality, what the executive team should be doing is putting their execution skills to use (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model and 1-3-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!). You are being paid to lead your organization. In order to do this you need to analyze the situation, gather the appropriate data, synthesize the information, determine a path, and lead your team in the resolution. You have to deal with the fragmentation of the problem. You have to deal with the ambiguity inherent in the information you gather. In short, you are managing change -- often at a breakneck pace.
Because things are moving so fast or because the situation is dire, you will be tempted to trot out your “typical” solution -- one that has worked in the past. This may or may not be right. But you can be sure that it won’t be tailored to your current situation. And by following a “typical” path, you will likely end up with a less than optimal resolution.
Don’t get me wrong --- your past successes (and failures) are important. They inform your capabilities. You can use this experience as part of the data you take in during your analysis.
Just make sure that you aren’t applying the insanity rule in your day-to-day activities. Figure out what should be done in this moment --- not what you’ve done in the past.
Cheers!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
7-28-10 Is It Better To Beg Forgiveness?
Here’s an interesting question….. Is it better to beg forgiveness or to ask permission? Hmmmmm…..
Guess that depends on the situation, of course. But in the business world, I learned early on that it is better to take action and then beg forgiveness if something goes awry.
Oh sure, there are times that it is absolutely mandatory that you ask permission. Like when you are about to commit the company to a multi-billion dollar contract, well then, you should probably ask a couple of people if it is okay. There is a line here that you must not cross…. And that line will vary depending on your boss of the moment, your situation, your company, etc.
But, for most of the day-to-day business activities, I never really had much luck with asking permission. It gives people the opportunity to delay your actions -- even when their agreement wasn’t really needed. It also gives people the opportunity to torpedo your actions -- if it is something they don’t want. Or, heaven forbid, it gives someone the opportunity to say no. And if that someone is your boss, you can consider the door to be firmly shut to your idea. No amount of finagling will get you back to yes.
My policy is to assume that I have the authority (and responsibility) to do something until someone (usually my boss) tells me different. Have I screwed up with that attitude? Occasionally, yes. Hence the idea of begging forgiveness. It is real easy to say, “I’m sorry, but I thought that was my responsibility. I’ll not do that again”.
Interestingly, people (my boss, specifically) have always been willing to accept that and we move on.
Here’s something even more interesting. I’ve gotten feedback in the past that I was rated highly in evaluations because of my willingness to take the initiative, make a decision, and implement a plan. If I hadn’t assumed the appropriate authority, that would have never happened.
So remember, you are an executive. And you are in charge. Act like it.
Cheers!
Guess that depends on the situation, of course. But in the business world, I learned early on that it is better to take action and then beg forgiveness if something goes awry.
Oh sure, there are times that it is absolutely mandatory that you ask permission. Like when you are about to commit the company to a multi-billion dollar contract, well then, you should probably ask a couple of people if it is okay. There is a line here that you must not cross…. And that line will vary depending on your boss of the moment, your situation, your company, etc.
But, for most of the day-to-day business activities, I never really had much luck with asking permission. It gives people the opportunity to delay your actions -- even when their agreement wasn’t really needed. It also gives people the opportunity to torpedo your actions -- if it is something they don’t want. Or, heaven forbid, it gives someone the opportunity to say no. And if that someone is your boss, you can consider the door to be firmly shut to your idea. No amount of finagling will get you back to yes.
My policy is to assume that I have the authority (and responsibility) to do something until someone (usually my boss) tells me different. Have I screwed up with that attitude? Occasionally, yes. Hence the idea of begging forgiveness. It is real easy to say, “I’m sorry, but I thought that was my responsibility. I’ll not do that again”.
Interestingly, people (my boss, specifically) have always been willing to accept that and we move on.
Here’s something even more interesting. I’ve gotten feedback in the past that I was rated highly in evaluations because of my willingness to take the initiative, make a decision, and implement a plan. If I hadn’t assumed the appropriate authority, that would have never happened.
So remember, you are an executive. And you are in charge. Act like it.
Cheers!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
7-14-10 On Being Decisive
One of the execution skills in the Executive Skills/Traits model involves being decisive (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model and 1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!).
One of my survey participants had an interesting take on this skill. He said, “Many/most times decisions are elevated due to lack of a clear cut ‘answer‘. Being able to listen to opposing arguments and make a decision is critical to exec leadership. If it was easy, the team would have already decided.”
If you haven’t figured it out yet, being an executive ain’t easy.
As an executive, you no longer get to make the easy decisions -- if you’ve delegated appropriately. The easy decisions are made by your staff or your managers. That means you get stuck with the hard decisions.
And as my survey participant indicated, in order to make those hard decisions you have to weigh the information and the opposing arguments. Fairly and impartially. The “fair” part is easy for most executives. The “impartial” part usually isn’t.
Why? Because we all have a past or history. And that can impact our analysis and decision-making. In order to be a successful executive, you have to recognize your past and your biases -- then to the extent possible, leave them behind. And if you can’t, you at least need to factor them in to your decision-making process.
Of course, once the decision is made, then it has to be implemented. But that’s another post……
Cheers!
One of my survey participants had an interesting take on this skill. He said, “Many/most times decisions are elevated due to lack of a clear cut ‘answer‘. Being able to listen to opposing arguments and make a decision is critical to exec leadership. If it was easy, the team would have already decided.”
If you haven’t figured it out yet, being an executive ain’t easy.
As an executive, you no longer get to make the easy decisions -- if you’ve delegated appropriately. The easy decisions are made by your staff or your managers. That means you get stuck with the hard decisions.
And as my survey participant indicated, in order to make those hard decisions you have to weigh the information and the opposing arguments. Fairly and impartially. The “fair” part is easy for most executives. The “impartial” part usually isn’t.
Why? Because we all have a past or history. And that can impact our analysis and decision-making. In order to be a successful executive, you have to recognize your past and your biases -- then to the extent possible, leave them behind. And if you can’t, you at least need to factor them in to your decision-making process.
Of course, once the decision is made, then it has to be implemented. But that’s another post……
Cheers!
Friday, July 2, 2010
7-2-10 Change and the Newly-Minted Executive
Just because you now have the “executive badge” emblazoned on your chest, doesn’t mean that you should charge in and make a whole bunch of changes. What?!? I bet you are thinking, “well, sheesh, isn’t that what they promoted me for?” Yeah, probably, but it won’t do you any good to make changes the day after you start your new job.
One of my survey participants put it very nicely.
“I think it is important to learn the team and gain some respect. By doing this your new team will be more willing to support the changes you need to make.” He went on to explain that he had been promoted to an area that was new to him -- and that the team in place didn’t know him very well. “I believed they did not trust me yet because of this. So before I made any major change I took my time to let them get to know me. Then when I did make the change they all stuck behind it.”
The issue here is managing change, a key skill in the execution portion of the Executive Skills and Traits model (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model). And while not specifically called out in the model, patience is an important factor in managing change. It is imperative that you take your time -- and not try to change everything overnight.
You probably have the skills to make all kinds of changes in a very short period of time. But as this executive wisely understood, the changes probably wouldn’t “stick” because the people involved with it didn’t trust him yet -- and by extension, probably wouldn’t trust the motive behind the changes or even the changes themselves. Patience is required -- the patience to learn about the team and the patience to allow them time to learn about you.
Change is difficult, even in ideal circumstances. And, despite the fact that you allow time for the team to adjust to you, not all of them will agree with or support the change. But if you have earned their trust, they will at least not block the needed changes.
So yes, you might have been hired or promoted to effect change in an organization. But you have to balance this with the willingness and ability of your new organization to accept and implement the change.
Cheers!
One of my survey participants put it very nicely.
“I think it is important to learn the team and gain some respect. By doing this your new team will be more willing to support the changes you need to make.” He went on to explain that he had been promoted to an area that was new to him -- and that the team in place didn’t know him very well. “I believed they did not trust me yet because of this. So before I made any major change I took my time to let them get to know me. Then when I did make the change they all stuck behind it.”
The issue here is managing change, a key skill in the execution portion of the Executive Skills and Traits model (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model). And while not specifically called out in the model, patience is an important factor in managing change. It is imperative that you take your time -- and not try to change everything overnight.
You probably have the skills to make all kinds of changes in a very short period of time. But as this executive wisely understood, the changes probably wouldn’t “stick” because the people involved with it didn’t trust him yet -- and by extension, probably wouldn’t trust the motive behind the changes or even the changes themselves. Patience is required -- the patience to learn about the team and the patience to allow them time to learn about you.
Change is difficult, even in ideal circumstances. And, despite the fact that you allow time for the team to adjust to you, not all of them will agree with or support the change. But if you have earned their trust, they will at least not block the needed changes.
So yes, you might have been hired or promoted to effect change in an organization. But you have to balance this with the willingness and ability of your new organization to accept and implement the change.
Cheers!
Monday, June 14, 2010
6-14-10 What is Your Budget?
Every executive has a budget. And every executive knows exactly where he/she stands on spending the budget. No matter what level of executive you are, you will have budget constraints. Which leads me to one of the comments made by my survey participants. Remember I asked each participant what one thing that they wished they had known when they became an executive.
We know from the execution function of the executive skills and traits model that financial acumen is an important skill for the new and/or aspiring executive (1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!). This comment is an interesting twist on that financial acumen skill.
One particular executive said, “I discovered there was a tremendous amount of money needlessly tied up in reserve accounts and a lot of energy wasted hiding/holding on to those reserves”.
Okay, quit shaking your head. We all do it. Somewhere, buried deep in your budget is a slush fund. You “grew up” learning that reserves were required. If you didn’t have some extra funds in your back pocket, how could you possibly survive and pay for any unk-unks? Or how would you fund any unexpected opportunities?
So now you are asking… “are we all wrong? Should we not have reserves?” Well, yes and no. Unfortunately, there isn’t a straight answer on this one.
When is it appropriate? Perhaps when times are good because then the impact of reserves isn’t felt too keenly. Or perhaps when you are introducing a new product, when you can’t possibly have identified all of the problems and hitches that you will encounter. Or, as irritating as it is, when you know that your following year’s budget will be dependent on this year’s budget, including reserves.
You can tell that my survey participant didn’t think reserves were such a good idea. And there are times when he is right. How much time do you spend concealing or defending your reserves? Is it really worth the time and effort you put into it? I’ve seen some executives spend more man-hours defending a slush fund than the fund was actually worth. I just wanted to tell him that he wasn’t being very smart in choosing his battle.
Or have you checked into the overall financial health of the company lately? If your company is one of the companies that is laying off, I would suggest that you pony up your reserve immediately. There isn’t any reserve that compares to saving jobs. Or if your company is borrowing heavily just to stay afloat, then again, cough up the reserves.
Be smart about your slush fund and you won’t damage your company or your ability to survive and prosper.
Cheers!
We know from the execution function of the executive skills and traits model that financial acumen is an important skill for the new and/or aspiring executive (1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!). This comment is an interesting twist on that financial acumen skill.
One particular executive said, “I discovered there was a tremendous amount of money needlessly tied up in reserve accounts and a lot of energy wasted hiding/holding on to those reserves”.
Okay, quit shaking your head. We all do it. Somewhere, buried deep in your budget is a slush fund. You “grew up” learning that reserves were required. If you didn’t have some extra funds in your back pocket, how could you possibly survive and pay for any unk-unks? Or how would you fund any unexpected opportunities?
So now you are asking… “are we all wrong? Should we not have reserves?” Well, yes and no. Unfortunately, there isn’t a straight answer on this one.
When is it appropriate? Perhaps when times are good because then the impact of reserves isn’t felt too keenly. Or perhaps when you are introducing a new product, when you can’t possibly have identified all of the problems and hitches that you will encounter. Or, as irritating as it is, when you know that your following year’s budget will be dependent on this year’s budget, including reserves.
You can tell that my survey participant didn’t think reserves were such a good idea. And there are times when he is right. How much time do you spend concealing or defending your reserves? Is it really worth the time and effort you put into it? I’ve seen some executives spend more man-hours defending a slush fund than the fund was actually worth. I just wanted to tell him that he wasn’t being very smart in choosing his battle.
Or have you checked into the overall financial health of the company lately? If your company is one of the companies that is laying off, I would suggest that you pony up your reserve immediately. There isn’t any reserve that compares to saving jobs. Or if your company is borrowing heavily just to stay afloat, then again, cough up the reserves.
Be smart about your slush fund and you won’t damage your company or your ability to survive and prosper.
Cheers!
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!
Friday, May 28, 2010
5-28-10 Never Enough Time
No, I’m not going to give you yet another time management model to follow. There are plenty of good ones (and some not so good) available in the market and on the web today. I do, however, have an observation about time management to share.
While time management isn’t listed explicitly in the Executive Skills and Traits model (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model), it is implicit in several of the skills listed in the Execution Skills portion of the model (1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!). For example, it is implied in the Manage Change and Ambiguity; Manage Fragmentation and Rapid Pace skills.
One of my research participants had a very astute observation about the need for time management. He said, “spending the appropriate time and energy on the ‘right’ tasks is very difficult for a new executive. Some of these critical tasks for a program success will not be within his/her comfort zone. It is extremely easy to be busy on the wrong tasks at the exec level”.
Of course, a very basic step in effective time management is for the executive to determine the “right tasks” that he/she should be working on. Human nature is such that we all want to work on something that we are familiar or comfortable with. That makes it entirely likely that the new executive will tend towards those tasks -- rather than the ones he/she should be doing.
So let’s say that you are an accounting executive. The temptation would, of course, be for you to delve into the details and numbers of a balance sheet or its associated subsidiary ledgers -- checking and cross-footing like any good accountant would. But you have to ask yourself, is this really the best use of my time? Or would my time be better spent on strategic issues around the balance sheet? For example, wouldn’t it be better for you to spend some time on the more strategic thinking around how much leverage your company should be carrying on the balance sheet?
Or let’s say that you are a manufacturing executive, having come up through the ranks as a mechanic. The temptation would be for you to spend time pulling drawings and understanding the details of the parts your organization is producing. And while it IS important for you to understand your product, wouldn’t a better use of your time be strategic? For example, once you have a grasp of your product, wouldn’t your time be better spent in strategic thinking about what other products you could be producing and offering?
The time management point here is ---- spend your time on those tasks that are appropriate to your position. Sure, you oversee the details. But you are overseeing those that you have delegated to -- NOT doing the detail work yourself. Figure out the critical tasks that you should be doing for the success of your project, program, or company --- then get to it!
Cheers!
While time management isn’t listed explicitly in the Executive Skills and Traits model (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model), it is implicit in several of the skills listed in the Execution Skills portion of the model (1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!). For example, it is implied in the Manage Change and Ambiguity; Manage Fragmentation and Rapid Pace skills.
One of my research participants had a very astute observation about the need for time management. He said, “spending the appropriate time and energy on the ‘right’ tasks is very difficult for a new executive. Some of these critical tasks for a program success will not be within his/her comfort zone. It is extremely easy to be busy on the wrong tasks at the exec level”.
Of course, a very basic step in effective time management is for the executive to determine the “right tasks” that he/she should be working on. Human nature is such that we all want to work on something that we are familiar or comfortable with. That makes it entirely likely that the new executive will tend towards those tasks -- rather than the ones he/she should be doing.
So let’s say that you are an accounting executive. The temptation would, of course, be for you to delve into the details and numbers of a balance sheet or its associated subsidiary ledgers -- checking and cross-footing like any good accountant would. But you have to ask yourself, is this really the best use of my time? Or would my time be better spent on strategic issues around the balance sheet? For example, wouldn’t it be better for you to spend some time on the more strategic thinking around how much leverage your company should be carrying on the balance sheet?
Or let’s say that you are a manufacturing executive, having come up through the ranks as a mechanic. The temptation would be for you to spend time pulling drawings and understanding the details of the parts your organization is producing. And while it IS important for you to understand your product, wouldn’t a better use of your time be strategic? For example, once you have a grasp of your product, wouldn’t your time be better spent in strategic thinking about what other products you could be producing and offering?
The time management point here is ---- spend your time on those tasks that are appropriate to your position. Sure, you oversee the details. But you are overseeing those that you have delegated to -- NOT doing the detail work yourself. Figure out the critical tasks that you should be doing for the success of your project, program, or company --- then get to it!
Cheers!
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 7, 2010
5-7-10 A Funeral and A Wedding
I attended the funeral of a very good, long-time, friend this morning. And this evening, I attended the wedding of one of my nephews. Fortunately, it isn’t every day that one has to go through the emotional spectrum like that.
Oh wait. What was I thinking. It IS almost everyday that the executive goes through the emotional spectrum. Or at least, many days.
An example. We were negotiating a contract that had the potential to significantly increase the company’s standing within the industry, significantly diversify our customer base, and most importantly, was worth a significant amount of money --- for the next oh, 30 or so years.
I have never ridden such an emotional roller coaster -- for such an extended period of time. We would go to the customer’s site for negotiations. After the first meeting of the day, I would be convinced that we had the contract all but signed. And then a couple of hours later, I would be ready to have my team pack their bags and get on the next plane home. And then two hours after that, I would be back to hopeful. In fact, at multiple points during the negotiations, we told the customer, “this is it. We are done. No hard feelings. Maybe we can work something out on the next program”. Only to have them call us back a week later to start the whole darned thing over again.
So yeah, the executive can go through that emotional spectrum, from very high to very low, within the space of one day -- oftentimes day after day.
My point? It is up to you, as the executive and the leader, to stay on an even keel. Yes, you should celebrate the high points. And yes, you should mourn the low points. Both with restraint. You can’t show the extremes. Why? Because it is up to you to set the tone for those around you. You should be buffering your people from this roller coaster. Not completely, of course. Just from the extremes. And of course, you demonstrate your even temperament to your bosses and your peers. A temperament that will stand you in good stead as new opportunities come your way.
And yes, we won the contract.
Cheers!
Oh wait. What was I thinking. It IS almost everyday that the executive goes through the emotional spectrum. Or at least, many days.
An example. We were negotiating a contract that had the potential to significantly increase the company’s standing within the industry, significantly diversify our customer base, and most importantly, was worth a significant amount of money --- for the next oh, 30 or so years.
I have never ridden such an emotional roller coaster -- for such an extended period of time. We would go to the customer’s site for negotiations. After the first meeting of the day, I would be convinced that we had the contract all but signed. And then a couple of hours later, I would be ready to have my team pack their bags and get on the next plane home. And then two hours after that, I would be back to hopeful. In fact, at multiple points during the negotiations, we told the customer, “this is it. We are done. No hard feelings. Maybe we can work something out on the next program”. Only to have them call us back a week later to start the whole darned thing over again.
So yeah, the executive can go through that emotional spectrum, from very high to very low, within the space of one day -- oftentimes day after day.
My point? It is up to you, as the executive and the leader, to stay on an even keel. Yes, you should celebrate the high points. And yes, you should mourn the low points. Both with restraint. You can’t show the extremes. Why? Because it is up to you to set the tone for those around you. You should be buffering your people from this roller coaster. Not completely, of course. Just from the extremes. And of course, you demonstrate your even temperament to your bosses and your peers. A temperament that will stand you in good stead as new opportunities come your way.
And yes, we won the contract.
Cheers!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
5-5-10 Injured Reserve
Okay, so now I’m on the injured reserve list. I managed to slice the end of one finger open yesterday. After two steri strips and one very bulky bandage, I’m trying to type. When you are a 10-finger typist, it is more than a little difficult to do when one finger won‘t cooperate. So this post will be a bit short……
While at the doctors office, I had a couple of observations.
First, I noticed that the entire office has gone electronic -- even the doctors. All the staff carry around a laptop computer and make all of their entries on it. No more bulky charts to update, transcribe, or maintain. So what does this have to do with the executive? I may not have been the most technology-savvy executive, but I DID actually use it. I’ve seen way too many executives over the years that, once they make it to the executive ranks, abdicate all responsibility for their electronic lives to their assistants. Yes, your assistant is supposed to take on a lot of those functions. But, is it really efficient to have him/her print off all of your emails? Then you read and write out the response long hand. And then your assistant has to type out all the responses. Not very efficient, eh?
And the second thing that I noticed is that I didn’t have an inordinate wait at the doctor. Of course, I did go in towards the beginning of the doctor’s day. But still, the pause in the waiting room and in the exam room was very minimal. Again, what does this have to do with the executive? How many times have you had to wait to start a meeting until the CEO or COO shows up? Or even worse, how many times have you kept a room full of people waiting until you showed up for a meeting? It is a waste of time and it is disrespectful of the people around you. So be polite and manage your time.
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
While at the doctors office, I had a couple of observations.
First, I noticed that the entire office has gone electronic -- even the doctors. All the staff carry around a laptop computer and make all of their entries on it. No more bulky charts to update, transcribe, or maintain. So what does this have to do with the executive? I may not have been the most technology-savvy executive, but I DID actually use it. I’ve seen way too many executives over the years that, once they make it to the executive ranks, abdicate all responsibility for their electronic lives to their assistants. Yes, your assistant is supposed to take on a lot of those functions. But, is it really efficient to have him/her print off all of your emails? Then you read and write out the response long hand. And then your assistant has to type out all the responses. Not very efficient, eh?
And the second thing that I noticed is that I didn’t have an inordinate wait at the doctor. Of course, I did go in towards the beginning of the doctor’s day. But still, the pause in the waiting room and in the exam room was very minimal. Again, what does this have to do with the executive? How many times have you had to wait to start a meeting until the CEO or COO shows up? Or even worse, how many times have you kept a room full of people waiting until you showed up for a meeting? It is a waste of time and it is disrespectful of the people around you. So be polite and manage your time.
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Friday, April 30, 2010
4-30-10 Fight or Flight
We had a good old fashioned Midwestern thunderstorm last night. And sometime between, oh, about 2:30am and 4am, my dogs demonstrated the fight or flight concept perfectly.
The oldest of our dogs gave a perfect example of flight. She has always been afraid of the thunder. And, in the best case, will hide in the pantry until the storm sounds pass by. However, she doesn’t have access to the pantry during the middle of the night, so it was more than a bit stressful for her.
The baby, on the other hand, gave us a perfect example of fight. With each clap of thunder, she was up on her feet and barking at the “intruder”. No shrinking flower there. Although having a dog barking in your ear at 2:30 in the morning isn’t the most pleasant of experiences.
So what? You ask. Well, perhaps it is caused by lack of sleep, but it got me to thinking about facing that fight or flight impulse in the work place. I’m sure that there are many scientific studies from over the years that determine the effects of triggering the fight or flight response in humans. So I’m not headed down that angle. Instead, I’m more interested in how an executive handles the impulse.
As an executive, you will walk a very fine line between fight and flight many times in your career. You will feel threatened and you will have to decide, often in a flash, whether you fight or flee. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t advocate either. What I advocate is a measured response.
For example, you are pitching a new product for your company and you encounter some significant, and even derisive, resistance -- in public. And so your fight or flight instinct kicks in. You know the feeling. Your heart starts pounding, your face might get a little red, your mouth gets dry, or you start to sweat.
If you are like many executives (let’s face it, most of us are type A, aggressive personalities), your immediate impulse will be to fight the detractors. But is that wise? Maybe. And maybe not. Sometimes you have to stand up and fight for what you truly believe in. And sometimes you have to subside and walk away from the situation.
The point is, you need plan for this eventuality. It will happen, sooner or later. You should learn to recognize when the instinct kicks in. And once it kicks in, you have to take a breath or a step back and analyze the situation. And THEN pick the appropriate response.
So the next time you hear the music of a thunderstorm, it might be wise to ponder a few things. What triggers your fight or flight instinct? What are the symptoms that you feel when it kicks in? And how will you respond? And most importantly, how can you turn the instinct to your advantage as an executive?
Enjoy the thunder!
Cheers.
The oldest of our dogs gave a perfect example of flight. She has always been afraid of the thunder. And, in the best case, will hide in the pantry until the storm sounds pass by. However, she doesn’t have access to the pantry during the middle of the night, so it was more than a bit stressful for her.
The baby, on the other hand, gave us a perfect example of fight. With each clap of thunder, she was up on her feet and barking at the “intruder”. No shrinking flower there. Although having a dog barking in your ear at 2:30 in the morning isn’t the most pleasant of experiences.
So what? You ask. Well, perhaps it is caused by lack of sleep, but it got me to thinking about facing that fight or flight impulse in the work place. I’m sure that there are many scientific studies from over the years that determine the effects of triggering the fight or flight response in humans. So I’m not headed down that angle. Instead, I’m more interested in how an executive handles the impulse.
As an executive, you will walk a very fine line between fight and flight many times in your career. You will feel threatened and you will have to decide, often in a flash, whether you fight or flee. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t advocate either. What I advocate is a measured response.
For example, you are pitching a new product for your company and you encounter some significant, and even derisive, resistance -- in public. And so your fight or flight instinct kicks in. You know the feeling. Your heart starts pounding, your face might get a little red, your mouth gets dry, or you start to sweat.
If you are like many executives (let’s face it, most of us are type A, aggressive personalities), your immediate impulse will be to fight the detractors. But is that wise? Maybe. And maybe not. Sometimes you have to stand up and fight for what you truly believe in. And sometimes you have to subside and walk away from the situation.
The point is, you need plan for this eventuality. It will happen, sooner or later. You should learn to recognize when the instinct kicks in. And once it kicks in, you have to take a breath or a step back and analyze the situation. And THEN pick the appropriate response.
So the next time you hear the music of a thunderstorm, it might be wise to ponder a few things. What triggers your fight or flight instinct? What are the symptoms that you feel when it kicks in? And how will you respond? And most importantly, how can you turn the instinct to your advantage as an executive?
Enjoy the thunder!
Cheers.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
4-21-10 Back Pocket
I was visiting with one of my fellow retirees at the golf course the other day. I’m about 1 year into retirement -- he’s about 3 years into it. As we exchanged pleasantries, I asked him how he was liking retirement. His answer? “I’m so glad that golf season is finally here, I’ve been bored to death.” My reaction was a big HUH? How the heck is that possible?! Hard for me to imagine at this point. But it did get me to thinking about boredom in general, and then more specifically, boredom at work.
No matter how busy you are on any given day (or week, or month!), you will have some downtimes at work. Times where there frankly just isn’t much going on. In the aerospace industry, that can be the week or two before/after the Christmas holiday shutdown. Or if you are working with the European aerospace industry, that could be during the traditional vacation month of August. The point is, every industry has its slow times throughout the year.
So, you come into work one day and you find yourself looking around and thinking, “what in the heck am I going to do with myself all day?”
That’s why I always made sure that I had an ongoing back pocket list of things to do. There are always going to be those tasks that never seem to quite make it to the top of the to do list in the normal course of business. They are tasks that likely need to be done, but don’t have the same urgency as your normal day-to-day activities. Those are the things that you need to trot out during the slow times.
Now I know that most time management experts would tell you that if something never really makes it to the top of the to do list, it is likely something that really doesn’t need to be done. I contend they are wrong. These are tasks that need to be done -- sometime.
So what kind of tasks should be on your back pocket to do list? For me? It was usually a pretty diverse list. Things like: cleaning out paper files, cleaning out email files, catching up on reading, assessing and then rewriting policies, updating templates, etc. I’m sure that your list is equally as diverse.
And the payoff? You will find that you end up having a pretty productive day(s) despite the initial flush of boredom. And….. You end up accomplishing some languishing tasks that really do need to be done.
Cheers!
No matter how busy you are on any given day (or week, or month!), you will have some downtimes at work. Times where there frankly just isn’t much going on. In the aerospace industry, that can be the week or two before/after the Christmas holiday shutdown. Or if you are working with the European aerospace industry, that could be during the traditional vacation month of August. The point is, every industry has its slow times throughout the year.
So, you come into work one day and you find yourself looking around and thinking, “what in the heck am I going to do with myself all day?”
That’s why I always made sure that I had an ongoing back pocket list of things to do. There are always going to be those tasks that never seem to quite make it to the top of the to do list in the normal course of business. They are tasks that likely need to be done, but don’t have the same urgency as your normal day-to-day activities. Those are the things that you need to trot out during the slow times.
Now I know that most time management experts would tell you that if something never really makes it to the top of the to do list, it is likely something that really doesn’t need to be done. I contend they are wrong. These are tasks that need to be done -- sometime.
So what kind of tasks should be on your back pocket to do list? For me? It was usually a pretty diverse list. Things like: cleaning out paper files, cleaning out email files, catching up on reading, assessing and then rewriting policies, updating templates, etc. I’m sure that your list is equally as diverse.
And the payoff? You will find that you end up having a pretty productive day(s) despite the initial flush of boredom. And….. You end up accomplishing some languishing tasks that really do need to be done.
Cheers!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
3-31-10 Think for Yourself
Did you notice in the recent health care legislation vote that not one Republican, in either the House or the Senate, voted for the bill(s)? No, I’m not here to start a debate on the whole health care legislation issue. There are plenty of other political blogs, talking heads, and pols that are gleefully doing that online for you. Instead, I’m here to discuss the whole idea of thinking for yourself.
Given the recent legislation, I find it incredibly hard to believe that not one Republican could agree with the legislation. And that means that at least one of them went against their beliefs in what would be good legislation. To me, that also means that he/she didn’t think for themselves --- that they let other people do their thinking for them.
When it comes to this kind of behavior in the executive ranks, I have a problem with that. Yes, I know, in a previous post I talked about the need sometimes to just shut up and salute smartly (2-1-10 Salute Smartly). But I’ve also talked about the need for the executive to be decisive. In fact, it is the number one skill within the execution function for executives (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model).
As an executive, you are expected to be decisive. And the decisions you will make aren’t typically going to be easy. Hell, if they were easy, someone on down the management chain would have already made the decision. And you can be sure that some of the decisions you make won’t be popular. As I used to tell my guys, that’s okay….. That’s why they issue me the big shoulder pads.
Seriously, you can’t make decisions, particularly on extremely important topics, based on what would be popular or what would curry you favor with your party. You have to make decisions based on: what is right for your company, what is right for your people, and what is right for you.
It is always a balancing act. And sometimes you will be better at it than others. But you have to think it through for yourself and then act appropriately. No hiding behind anyone or any group.
Cheers!
Given the recent legislation, I find it incredibly hard to believe that not one Republican could agree with the legislation. And that means that at least one of them went against their beliefs in what would be good legislation. To me, that also means that he/she didn’t think for themselves --- that they let other people do their thinking for them.
When it comes to this kind of behavior in the executive ranks, I have a problem with that. Yes, I know, in a previous post I talked about the need sometimes to just shut up and salute smartly (2-1-10 Salute Smartly). But I’ve also talked about the need for the executive to be decisive. In fact, it is the number one skill within the execution function for executives (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model).
As an executive, you are expected to be decisive. And the decisions you will make aren’t typically going to be easy. Hell, if they were easy, someone on down the management chain would have already made the decision. And you can be sure that some of the decisions you make won’t be popular. As I used to tell my guys, that’s okay….. That’s why they issue me the big shoulder pads.
Seriously, you can’t make decisions, particularly on extremely important topics, based on what would be popular or what would curry you favor with your party. You have to make decisions based on: what is right for your company, what is right for your people, and what is right for you.
It is always a balancing act. And sometimes you will be better at it than others. But you have to think it through for yourself and then act appropriately. No hiding behind anyone or any group.
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 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!
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