The Business of Management

Management Speak

2014-12-04T19:42:00.001-05:00

(or how to use 89 cliches to sound like you know what you're doing)

"Eagles soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines." - Steven Wright

"If at first you don’t succeed, try management" - Unknown

"Indecision is the key to flexibility" - Graffiti at Yale University

If you’re trying for that promotion right now, stop putting the finishing touches for that presentation next week. I’m going to make it much easy for you to succeed in your career (in a light hearted manner of course)

Assuming you get your promotion, what’s going to ensure you get to keep the job and then get promoted to more senior management? Well, aside from combing your hair, brushing your teeth, and wearing nice looking clothes to the interview, you’ve got to be able to speak well.

We all laugh at how the managers in Dilbert or on the The Office constantly spew cliches that don’t seem to mean anything. But those parodies shed light on a basic truth: some tired management cliches will impress enough people that they’ll probably help you get promoted to middle management.

Of course, if you really become a Ninja master of using all 89 of these cliches, you probably have no hope of moving up to upper management, because your mind and vocabulary will be filled with complete and utter nonsense.

Then again, for those of you who are believers in the “fake it until you make it” approach to career progression, maybe your self-mastery of these cliches will baffle your bosses so much that, eventually, they’ll let you into the inner sanctum of senior management.

My advice, however, would be for you to avoid all of these hackneyed phrases and find a more original way of talking/thinking about the problems you’re facing.

With tongue firmly planted in cheek, and without further ado, here are the 89 biggest cliches that will help you get promoted to upper management because they’ll make you sound like you know a lot about how organizations operate (along with my handy translations). When possible, you should use these in team meetings or in front of your bosses who will have a say in promoting you:

1. It’s a paradigm shift = I don’t know what’s going on in our business. But we’re not making as much money as we used to.

2. We’re data-driven = We try not to make decisions by the seat of our pants. When possible, we try to base them in facts.

3. We need to wrap our heads around this = Wow, I never thought of that. We need to discuss that….

4. It’s a win-win = Hey, we both get something out of this (even though I’m really trying to get the best from you)

5. ROI [used in any sentence] = Look at me, I’m very financially-minded, even if I never took any finance classes in school

6. Let’s blue sky this / let’s ballpark this = Let’s shoot around a bunch of ideas since we have no clue what to do

7. I’m a bit of a visionary = I’m a bit of an egomaniac and narcissist

8. I’m a team player / we only hire team players = I hope everyone on the team thinks this is a meritocracy, even though I’m the dictator in charge

9. Let’s circle back to that / Let’s put that in the parking lot / let’s touch base on that later / let’s take this off-line = Shut up and let’s go back to what I was talking about

10. We think outside the box here / color outside the lines = We wouldn’t know about how to do something innovative if it came up to us and bit us in the behind

11. I / we / you don’t have the bandwidth = Since we cut 60% of our headcount, we’re all doing the job of 3 people, so we’re all burned out

12. This is where the rubber meets the road = Don’t screw up

13. Net net / the net of it is / when you net it out = I never studied finance or accounting but I sound like someone who can make money if I keep talking about another word for profit

14. We’ll go back and sharpen our pencils = We’ll go back and offer you the same for 20% less in hopes you’ll buy it before the end of the quarter

15. It’s like the book “Crossing the Chasm” / ”Blue Ocean” / ”Good To Great” / “Tipping Point” / “Outliers” = I’ve never read any of these books but I sound literate if I quote from them. And, besides, you peasants probably never read them either to call me out on it

16. Let’s right-size it = Let’s fire a bunch of people

17. It’s next-gen / turn-key / plug-and-play = I want it to sound so technical that you’ll just buy it without asking me any questions

18. We need to manage the optics of this = How can we lie about this in a way people will believe?

19. This is creative destruction = I’ve never read Joseph Schumpeter but our core business is getting killed so it’s your responsibility to come up with a new product the market will buy

20. We don’t have enough boots on the ground = I don’t want to be fired for this disastrous product / country launch, so I’m going to sound tough referring to the military and say I don’t have enough resources

21. Deal with it = Tough cookies

22. By way of housekeeping = This makes the boring stuff I’m about to say sound more official

23. That’s the $64,000 question [sometimes, due to inflation, people will denominate this cliche in millions or billions of dollars] = I don’t know either

24. Let’s square the circle = I’m someone who can unify two team members’ views and sound important while doing it.

25. It’s our cash cow / protect / milk the cash cow = If that business goes south, we’re all out of a job

26. It’s about synergies / 1 + 1 = 3 = I don’t get the math either, but it sounds like more and more is better, right?

27. Who’s going to step up to the plate? = One of you is going to do this and it’s not going to be me

28. We’re eating our own dog food = It sounds gross but we seem like honest folks if we do this.

29. We need to monetize / strategize / analyze / incentivize = When in doubt, stick “-ize” on the end of a word and say we’ve got to do this and 9 out of 10 times, it will sound action-oriented.

30. We did a Five Forces / SWOT analysis / Value Chain analysis = We didn’t really do any of that, but none of you probably even remember Michael Porter, so what the heck

31. It was a perfect storm = We really screwed up but we’re going to blame a bunch of factors that are out of our hands (especially weather)

32. At the end of the day…. = OK, enough talking back and forth, we’re going to do what I want to do

33. Who’s got the ‘R’? [i.e., responsibility to do what we just spent 20 minutes talking about aimlessly] = If I ask the question, it won’t be assigned to me

34. Let’s put lipstick on this pig = hold your nose. This will stink.

35. I’m putting a stake in the ground here… = I’m a leader, simply because I’m using this cliche

36. We’re customer-focused / proactive / results-oriented = That can’t be bad, right? This is motherhood and apple pie stuff

37. Our visibility into the quarter is a little fuzzy = Sales just fell off a cliff

38. That’s not our core competency / we’re sticking to our knitting = We’re just glad we’re making money in one business, because we’d have no clue how to get into any other business

39. Well, we’re facing some headwinds there = You put your finger on the area we’re panicking over

40. It’s a one-off = Do whatever they want to close the sale

41. Incent it = That’s not a verb but I just made it into one because I’m a man/woman of action

42. I’m an agent of change = This makes it sound like I know how to handle the chaos that our business is constantly going through

43. We’ve got to do a little more due diligence there = Don’t have a clue but does that legal term make me sound detail-oriented?

44. Don’t leave money on the table = Be as greedy with them as possible

45. We take a “ready, fire, aim” approach here = We totally operate on a seat-of-the-pants basis

46. Hope is not a strategy = I don’t have a strategy, but this makes it sound like I’m above people who also don’t have a strategy

47. We have to tear down the silos internally = Our organizational structure is such a mess that I’m going to be under-mined by other departments at every turn

48. I don’t think it will move the needle = This won’t get my boss excited

49. Good to put a face to the name = I’d really rather talk to that person behind you

50. Let’s take the 30,000 foot view… = I like to think I see the big picture

51. It’s the old 80-20 rule = I really have no idea what the rule was, but I just want to focus on the things that will make us successful

52. We need to manage expectations = Get ready to start sucking up to people

53. It’s not actionable enough/what’s the deliverable? = You guys do the work on refining the idea. I’m too tired.

54. My 2 cents is… = This opinion is worth a heck of a lot more than 2 cents

55. I’m going to sound like a broken record here… = I want to clearly point out to you idiots that I’ve made this point several times before

56. We’ve got too many chiefs and not enough Indians = I want to be the Chief

57. Going forward = Don’t screw up like this again

58. My people know I’ve got an open door policy = I’ve told my direct reports to come to me if they have a problem, so why should I feel bad if they complain I’m too busy to talk to them?

59. It’s gone viral = Someone sent a tweet about this

60. I know you’ve been burning the candle on both ends = Get ready to do some more work/overtime
61. It’s scalable = We can sell a lot of it in theory

62. It’s best-of-breed = We hired a market research firm to say that

63. We’re all about value-add = Unlike our competitors who seek to add no value

64. What’s our go-to-market? = Has anyone planned this out, because I’ve been too busy?

65. I’m drinking from a fire hose right now = I want a little sympathy over here, because I’m tired of carrying this on my back

66. We’re getting some push back = They’re not buying it

67. We need to do a level-set = I’ve never been inside a Home Depot, but this phrase makes me sound handy

68. It’s basic blocking and tackling = How could you screw this up? I also played high school football and those were the best days of my life.

69. Let’s put our game faces on = Get serious, guys

70. We’ve got it covered from soup to nuts = I have no idea what that means, but don’t you dare question my prep work on it

71. We don’t want to get thrown under the bus = So let’s throw someone else first

72. But to close the loop on this… = Almost always it's the theoretical Business Development/Strategy guys who say this, so they can sound thorough

73. What are “next steps”? = Did anyone take notes during the last 90 minutes of this meeting?

74. This is low-hanging fruit = Get this done quickly. It's a lazy person's dream come true.

75. We need a few quick wins = We’ve got to trick people into thinking we know what we’re doing by some successes we can point to and claim as ours

76. It’s a [Insert Company Name] killer = Did I get your attention yet with the Freddy Kreuger imagery associated with the company who’s currently eating our lunch?

77. I want to address the elephant in the room = I know you think I’m trying to cover up / gloss over something, so I might as well talk about it

78. This is the next big thing / new thing = Some of our 20-somethings have told me this is really cool

79. This time it’s different because… = Don’t wait for the explanation… simply run for the hills.

80. What are the best practices on this? = How can I cover my behind that we’re just doing stuff the way other good people have supposedly done this?

81. This is our deliverable = I know this sounds like something that comes in a take out bag, but it makes our PowerPoint sound tougher than it actually is

82. We’ll loop you in when we need to = You’re not that important to know about all the details on this

83. We want this to move up and to the right = I failed high school algebra but someone said this means we’ll be making a lot of money if this happens

84. We’re going through a re-org = No one knows what the heck is going on at the moment

85. We’ve got to increase our mind-share with the customer = I think I would have been happier as a doctor doing lobotomies than in marketing as a career path

86. I don’t think you’re comparing apples to apples = Let me tell you how you should really think about this issue

87. Let’s peel back the onion on this = I want to sound thorough so this is a better way of telling you that than simply clearing my throat

88. You phoned it in = I was too busy checking my email during your presentation that I didn’t listen

89. I want you to run with this = I just threw you into the deep end of the pool and you’re on your own to figure it out

If you commit all these 89 to memory, I confer onto you an MBA of Business Cliches.

Congratulations!

Postscript: I'd like to thank all of you who contributed to the creation of this list with examples from your own experiences. I appreciate your subscription to this blog and the feedback you continuously and generously provide to this body of work, and am grateful that you find the time in your day for me.

Project Management for Dummies, part II

2014-09-12T16:49:00.001-04:00

If it takes one woman nine months to have a baby, it does not follow that it can also be done in one month by impregnating nine women."

~ Dr. J. Ornstein on the fallacies sometimes committed in strategy planning.

"I know that you believe that you understand what you think George said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what he meant."
~ My colleague's email to our Training Manager concerning my instructions during a new store opening

"A little risk management saves a lot of fan cleaning"

~ Anonymous

"Fast, cheap or good. Pick any two"~ Advise to a franchisee while overseeing the construction of his new unit.

In my last posting, I outlined the general steps one needs to take in planning out a project and in managing it. This traditional project management style was the go-to approach when creating and managing a project. But technology advancements now (should) get ideas to market faster than ever. Because of this, newly created project management approaches take more risk, quicker changes, and a lightening speed timeline into consideration. I consider this to be something I call Extreme Project Management.

In his book Effective Project Management Robert K. Wysocki defines this as “projects that include characteristics of high speed, high change and high uncertainty.” Consider the differences between the traditional and extreme styles prior to creating your project plan. You should commit to the extreme approach if your project fits the bill.

Traditional vs. Extreme

Traditional project management follows a straightforward approach to planning and managing a project along the lines I outlined in my last posting. It utilizes what’s called the waterfall method. This method basically plans project activities one after the other, in a direct line. When change happens, the project resets itself at a previous point in the project timeline and starts over again with the same waterfall method.

The waterfall approach is very linear. Once a schedule is reset because of a change, the entire schedule and final deadline shifts accordingly. If you are working in a fast paced environment with let's say strict market launch deadlines, this approach most likely won’t work. You’d likely be knocked off schedule and miss your deadline. The traditional approach is most successful when a project does not include a lot of change and most details of the project are realized at the beginning.

The extreme approach differs from the traditional project management style because it actually allows you to plan for change and uncertainties. Timing is also a big difference between the traditional and extreme approach. Whereas traditional projects tend to take months and in some cases even years by their very nature, the extreme approach breaks activities down into a smaller timeline like weeks or days (or even hours, if necessary).

Analogously, the traditional style of managing a project is the running of a marathon whereas the extreme style is the 100m dash.

Extreme project management is dominated by a constant cycle of change and resetting. It allows for teams to work in a shorter timeline with more regular and consistent cycles of reviews, approvals and agreement on the path forward.

Should Your Project Take the Extreme Approach?

Whether you are looking to assign a new project or you’re the project manager yourself, you’ll want to consider a few factors when deciding if the extreme approach is right for a specific project. If timing is fast and uncertainties remain or are likely to remain, taking the extreme approach might be best for you due to the ability to rapidly and nimbly change vectors.

Consider what you currently know about the project. Ask yourself: Do I know what the exact outcome of this project will be? Do I have all the answers to create a successful project plan? Can I expect there will not be (many or sudden) changes during the process?

If you answered no to any of these questions, the extreme approach might be the right choice for your project.

You’ll also want to consider stakeholder expectations. Are they realistic if the traditional approach is taken? Many times a senior leader will be excited about a project and will then throw it into the lap of their most successful project manager. The leader won’t provide a lot of direction but will expect the project to happen very quickly. Suggesting an extreme approach to the project will show you are nimble and willing to work on a project that might not be clearly defined.

Setting Up Your Extreme Project

Now that you’ve decided to take the extreme approach, you’ll want to consider the project team. The extreme project management approach is fast paced so the project team must be nimble and energetic.

Request or select a group that will be welcoming of change and can adjust quickly. Request input from each team member as you build your plan. This last part should not be optional. Confirm that all aspects of the project can happen as quickly as is necessary, and have them outline what obstacles (if any) they foresee arising during the course of their assigned tasks and what their plan of action is should that happen. This allows for everyone to know what the next steps to take are should something arise that threatens the timeline, and, at the very least, forces your group to begin to adopt an agile mindset.

Lay out your project plan with the extreme approach in mind. Begin with a kick-off, and schedule multiple rounds of quick work time followed by team reviews, check-ins and alignment on how to move forward. I would suggest at least three round tables for a medium sized project with a short timeline, but there can be as many rounds as you like, so long as these don't impact the time the team must devote to the project.

Discovery and research will be needed during the entire process so as to constantly feed the projects outstanding questions. You should have the resources for this made available to you, a "go to" person or department. If not, assign two members of your group the responsibility of getting the team the answers or the information they require and support them should they run into any obstacles or delays.

You can manage your project accordingly now that the project plan is in place. There will be a lot of change to track and manage so communication is critical. Project managers taking this extreme approach should plan to be in constant contact with all key team members. The probability of change will cause questions to arise constantly, so being available for answers is imperative.

Once you become comfortable with the idea of taking the extreme approach, you’ll probably find it suites you well and applies to many projects. The great thing about extreme project management is that its flexibility allows you to create the plan that best meets your goals and objectives.

If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com.
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Lessons from the Red Baron

2014-09-12T16:48:00.001-04:00

"It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity" ~ Christopher Morley

"You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note" ~ Doug Floyd

"George, this is because the average manager is a conformist. He or she will accept failure or disappointment with the stoicism of a cow standing out in the rain" ~ A colleague

"Not all those who wander are lost" ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

To make your organization more creative, learn from the Red Baron and hire talent for their differences

During World War I, German fighter pilots found themselves heavily outnumbered above the skies of France and Flanders. So, in June 1917, their high command did something radical. They combined several squadrons, each of which had planes of a distinctive color. They put them under the command of their most successful pilot, whose brightly colored plane had made him famous: Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron.

Von Richthofen was an unconventional officer. Scandalously - for a German - he wasn’t interested in conformity. He was interested in effectiveness. He didn’t ask pilots to repaint their planes. He didn’t expect them to fly as he did. (The Red Baron wasn’t a particularly aerobatic pilot. He was just a really, really good shot.) In fact, he deliberately recruited several aces, including the flying prodigy Erich Lowenhardt, who had far more flamboyant styles than his own. The Red Baron’s pilots only had two instructions from their commander: “Aim for the man, not the plane, and don’t miss. If you are fighting a two-seater, shoot the gunner first.” How each pilot got the job done was up to him.

Von Richtofen’s band of aces tore into the Allied air forces all that summer and into the beginning of the next year. Their bright colors, individualistic styles, and innovative tactics earned them the nickname “von Richthofen’s Flying Circus.” By the time the Red Baron died, in May 1918, they had scored more than 300 kills against the formation-flying conformists in Allied planes.

CEOs need more tools at their disposal

A couple of years ago, IBM did a survey of 1,500 top CEOs around the world. Their message was consistent: They were facing a chaotic environment, and they had a firm belief that the thing their companies needed most was creativity. Of course, what the survey didn’t say is that most CEOs are far too busy to come up with any of this creativity themselves. As is the way of CEOs, they delegate that kind of thing to people like you and me.

So now all over the world there are EVPs and SVPs trying to get their teams to think differently. The trouble is that most organizations spend a lot of time and money making sure that their people all think the same. They’re creating "Squadrons", flying in tight formations, valuing consistency and efficiency over individual flair.

For a start, they tend to recruit in their own likenesses - same recruits same. They then get the same results over and over again - results one assumes could be better or improved in a modern, competitive organization - because they keep hiring the same skill sets and experiences over and over again.

This is because it seems more people are comfortable with old problems, rather than with new solutions.

Recently, a division head at one of the world’s largest hospitality companies told me, “When somebody walks into an interview for a management role, we can instantly tell whether they’ll fit in here. This is a company of several hundred managers from highly recommended sources and contacts.” It seemed a world away from my experiences working in industries and fields of endeavor where the great leaders I was privileged to work under always provided homes for individualists on their teams.

Square Peg. Round Hole

I thought of my own experiences, where I once managed a man who used to design components for Ferrari.
In a cave.
In Italy.

Another member of my team I on boarded once as a forensic analyst was one of the world’s top harmonica players. When I used to run an large team with an international scope, almost everybody was also an "-ie" or an "-er": a Trekkie, a LARPer, a Designer, an Animator. It was my job as the leader to harness all the skills that my team could bring to bear, and these added eclectic skills were a reflection of different ways of thinking. Why would I need two people who thought the same way?

The British military rejected triplanes during the World War I, as they were too slow. The Red Baron saw their potential: All that lift made them extremely maneuverable. Companies modeled on his strategy of maneuverability and adaptability don’t just value speed and efficiency. They're built to change direction fast.

The recent release of Valve’s employee handbook is an extreme example of valuing flexibility over efficiency: There is almost no organization at all. But their results will tell you all you need to know about the firepower they can bring to bear. Like the Red Baron, the founders of Valve and Netflix and Google hire great people, give them a simple but difficult goal, and let them get on with it in their own way. At Nordstrom, they famously only have one rule (a 50% improvement on von Richthofen’s two instructions): Use best judgment in all situations.

Managing the Issue

Perhaps we should encourage people to become more different, not more similar. Perhaps we don’t need to have a standard training framework to make employees conform to a set way of thinking or a fixed behavior pattern at all times. Perhaps if we want to jar ourselves loose from the same repeating cycles, we need to broaden our definition of what other skill sets are required for a particular role, and where we can find them.

Of course, the world needs Squadrons. If you run an eye surgery clinic or a nuclear submarine, you need to standardize procedures and training. And of course, it’s not always fun running a flying circus. Several of the Red Baron’s top aces, including Lowenhardt, were killed in collisions with friendly aircraft. Anybody who’s worked in a high-intensity environment will know the feeling.

But if your CEO is demanding creative solutions to problems, then maybe you need to think about ways to encourage everybody to paint their own plane a different color, and loop and wheel around the clouds in their own way.

Six differences between a Squadron and a Flying Circus

Squadron

Motivated to shine as a team.

Emphasizes speed and efficiency.

Has a regimented training program.

Deliberately hires people who’ll fit in.

Standardizes procedures.

If it were a person, it would run.

Flying Circus

Motivated to shine as individuals.
Emphasizes ability to change direction.
Allows people to grow their own way.
Deliberately hires people who stand out.
Encourages diversity of techniques.
If it were a person, it would swagger.

Dealing with Difficult Employees II

2014-09-12T16:47:00.002-04:00

"You must look into other people as well as at them."

~ Lord Chesterfield

"We are far more liable to catch the vices than the virtues of our associates"
~ Denis Diderot

"I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better'

~ Abraham Lincoln

In this second part, I will try and list the 6 most common "difficult" personality traits I have encountered in my professional life, and what strategies and tactics I have found are effective in either dealing with them or in getting them to positively contribute, for I believe that everyone, no matter how "difficult" they can be, has something to offer.

1. The Aggressor

Dealing with hostile people requires both tact and strength. Since persons who feel they have been wronged are more likely to be belligerent and aggressive/violent, you should first try to be sure they have been dealt with fairly.

In addition, it would be wise to help them meet as many of their needs as possible without reinforcing their aggressiveness or discriminating in their favor. Likewise, avoid interactions with them that encourage intense emotions or threats of violence. Certainly do not interact with these angry people when they are drinking or carrying weapons.

Say or do nothing that would incite more anger or, on the other hand, cause you to appear to be scared, weak, and a “pushover.”

In most cases, strong retaliation against an aggressive person is the worst thing you can do. Nastiness begets nastiness. Hostility escalates.

If you can divert the angry person’s attention to some meaningful task or a calm discussion of the situation, the anger should subside. Also, offer him/her any information that would explain the situation that upsets him/her. Point out similarities or common interests between him/her and the person they are mad at (you). Let him/her see or hear about calm, rational ways of resolving differences. Almost anything that gets him/her thinking about something else will help.

I have dealt with many such personality types, and have compiled this brief list which outlines some basic ways in which I have calmed an angry person. Since some of these people were, in the end, some of the most loyal and reliable members of my team, I can vouch for the effectiveness of the following:

reduce the noise level
keep calm yourself
acknowledge that the irate person has been wronged (if true) or, at least, acknowledge their feelings without any judgment
ask them to explain their situation (so you can tactfully correct errors)
listen to their complaints without counter-attacking
explain your feelings with non-blaming “I” statements
show that you care but set limits on their aggressiveness (“I’d like to work it out with you but I’ll have to call security if you can’t control yourself”).

I have found that this personality type can be an asset to a group, because if properly handled and motivated, they will be the ones who will keep the group persevering if the goals seems hopeless or an extreme stretch. Their aggressiveness requires focus, so give them a mountain to move. They might just surprise you and ask you where you want it put.

2. The Chronic Complainer

What about the chronic complainers? They can bring the morale of any group down due to their fault-finding, blaming, and certainty about what should be done, but they never seem able to correct the situation by themselves. Often they have a point — there are real problems — but their complaining is not effective (except it is designed to prove someone else is responsible).

Coping with complainers involves, first, listening and asking clarifying questions, even if you feel guilty or falsely accused.

There are several don’ts:

don’t agree with the complaints,
don’t apologize (not immediately),
don’t become overly defensive or counter-attack because this only causes them to restate their complaints more heatedly.

Secondly, as you gather facts, create a problem-solving attitude. Be serious and supportive. Acknowledge the facts. Get the complaints in writing and in precise detail; get others, including the complainer, involved in collecting more data that might lead to a solution.

In addition to what is wrong, ask “What should happen?” If the complainer is unhappy with someone else, not you, you may want to ask, “Have you told (the complainee) yet?” or “Can I tell __________?” or “Can I set up a meeting with them?”

Thirdly, plan a specific time to make decisions cooperatively that will help the situation…and do it.

The complainer's eye for pointing out the issues that need looking after comes naturally for him. You can and should use them to the advantage of the group in order to identify any issues you may have missed.

3. The Super-Agreeable

What about the persons who are super nice and smilingly agrees with your ideas until some action is required, then they back down or disappear?

Such people seek approval. They have learned, probably as children, that one method for getting liked is by telling people (or pretending) you really care for and/or admire them.

Similarly, the super-agreeables will often promise more than they deliver: “I’ll get the report done today” or “I’d love to help you clean up.” They are experts in phoniness, so don’t try to “butter them up.”

Instead, reassure the super-agreeable that you will still like them even if they tell you the truth. Ask them to be candid and make it easy for them to be frank: “What part of my plan is okay but not as good as it could be?” Help them avoid making promises they can’t keep: “Are you sure you can have the money by then? How about two weeks later?”

Tell and show them you value their friendship. Let them know you are ready to compromise because you know they will be more than fair.

And their fairness in the end will be a sounding board for the group to come to and use whenever needed.

4. The Know-It-All Expert

Know-it-all experts are of two types: the truly competent, productive, self-assured, genuine expert and the partially informed person pretending to be an expert. Both can be a pain, but for different reasons.

The true expert may act superior and make others feel stupid; they may be bull headed and impatient with differing opinions; they are often self-reliant, don’t need or want any help, and don’t want to change.

If you are going to deal with the true expert as an equal, you must do your homework thoroughly; otherwise, they will dismiss you. First of all, listen to them and accurately paraphrase their points. Don’t attack their ideas but rather raise questions that suggest alternatives: “Would you tell me more?” or “What do you think the results will be in five years?” “It probably isn’t a viable choice but could we consider…?”

Secondly, show your respect for his/her competence but don’t put yourself down.

Lastly, if the expert can not learn to consider others’ ideas, you may be wise to graciously accept a subordinate role as his/her “helper.” Too many times, I have observed the egos of upper management render companies oblivious to what needs to be done because the decision makers would like to believe themselves to be the only ones who are truly gifted with insight, knowledge, or deductive reasoning.

They are wrong, and the corporate world is full of failed companies who's leaders didn't want to consider the advice of people smarter than them.

True experts deserve respect. They can give your team an enormous advantage.

The pretentious-but-not-real expert is relatively easy to deal with because he/she (unlike liars or cons) is often unaware of how little he/she knows. Such a person can be gently confronted with the facts. Do it when alone with them. Help them save face. They simply want to be admired.

5. The Pessimist

Another “burden” to any group is the pessimist –the person who always says, “It won’t work” or “We tried that.” These angry, bitter people have the power to drag us down because they stir up the old pool of doubt and disappointment within us.

So, first of all, avoid being sucked into his/her death-spiral of hopelessness. Don’t argue with the pessimist; don’t immediately offer solutions to the difficulties predicted by the pessimist.

Instead, make optimistic statements — showing that change is possible — and encourage the group to brainstorm leading to several possible alternatives. Then ask what are the worst possible consequences of each alternative (this gives the negativist a chance to do his/her thing but you can use the gloomy predictions in a constructive, problem-solving way).

Also ask, “What will happen if we do nothing?” Finally, welcome everyone’s help but be willing to do it alone because the pessimist won’t volunteer.

The pessimist can however serve a productive role, once you can navigate across the negativity, in that they can inform you if your ideas have been tried before and what were the causes of their failure. After all, there is no use in repeating the same mistakes of the past.

6. The Staller

Every group has a “staller,” a person who puts off decisions for fear their career or job will be put in jeopardy if their decision isn't "the right one".

Unlike the super-agreeable, I have found that the staller is truly interested in being helpful. So, make it easier for him/her to discuss and make decisions. Try to find out what the staller’s real concerns are (he/she won’t easily reveal negative opinions of you, however).

Don’t make demands for quick action. Instead, help the staller examine the facts and make compromises or develop alternative plans (and decide which ones take priority). Give the staller reassurance about his/her decision and support the effective carrying out of the decision.

It is our job as managers to manage the varying personality types occurring in our teams in order to effectively maximize their performance while developing them further along into something greater. In order to do that, it is not enough to simply give instructions, monitor their actions, and dole out compliments or corrective measures; we must learn that managing any group is more like conducting a symphony orchestra, with our people representing the instruments: every instrument sounds different, is heard at different parts during the performance, and is necessary to the overall performance.

Only when we recognize the uniqueness of every personality and accept the positive part everyone can have to play can we hope to overcome some of the more challenging aspects of our personalities.

Together.

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If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com.
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Retailing Commandments

2014-09-12T16:44:00.001-04:00

"Customers don’t expect you to be perfect George.
They do expect you however to fix things when they are not perfect."

~Ralf Strub, President of Bellstar Hotel & Resorts

"You’ll never have a product or price advantage again.
They can be easily duplicated, but a strong customer service culture can’t be copied."

~Jerry Fritz, Director of Management Institute

University of Wisconsin

"Although your customers won’t love you if you give bad service, your competitors will."

~Kate Zabriskie, founder of Business Training Works, Inc

–noun

1. a command

Retailing, like Hospitality, is all about the customer. Like the real estate mantra about "location, location, location" or the allegory about how to get to Carnegie Hall ("practice, practice, practice"), the first, last and only concern is the customer. All other considerations are secondary.

This is nothing new. This is not an epiphany, I realize. I have heard it often said. I have seen it often written down on a company mission statement. I have had people more focused on managing their careers than in doing the right thing by their clients engage in one long monologue about it, knowing full well no one in the room believed for one minute that they were sincere. Still, it needed to be said.

And yet all of these well meaning people were missing the point. You cannot give real service to a customer, the kind that makes them remember you and want to come back with their friends or family, if you don't add something that cannot be measured with money, or with reports or with numbers.

Sincerity and Integrity.

It is the most basic and fundamental element in Service, whether that be in Retail or in Hospitality. It is the basis of the public trust and loyalty retailers fight viciously over. It is the end result of all the marketing dollars, focus groups, training seminars and incentive programs we put into place both for and because of our customers. The sincerity of our staff in wanting to serve their clients as opposed to simply taking an order, and the integrity of our staff in being both honest and open, even if that means owning up to things when they are not going perfectly well.

Perhaps it is a social trend, this tendency for self gratification, that is diametrically opposed to the act of serving someone else's needs, wants or desires, before our own. Perhaps the difficulty lies in intuitively grasping the basic tenets of what it takes to do a good job in the Service sectors, due to this penchant of the needs of the self being greater than the needs of the others. The older generations seem to be more able to do this than some members of the younger generations.

So in the interest of making it simple, what follows are the "18 commandments" of providing excellent Service, both for the employee and for those of us who lead our respective teams. Some of them may be variations on previous item, but only because it is worth repeating.

1.     It's the Customer, Stupid. To paraphrase that popular, and successful, quote from Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign: The single most important aspect of your business is your customers. Make sure your entire team understands that - and acts like they understand it. Monitor this closely and reinforce it constantly.

2.     Spoil your Customers. Everyone wants to think they are special. You can make your customers feel special if you treat them like they are special (they in fact are. See #1 above.) For the time you are with them, concentrate on them and what they are telling you. Exclude everything else for that period of time.

3.     Delight the Customer. It is heard a lot, but seldom practiced. Today I saw a Manager straighten out a mess and, in the process, calm an irate customer. When I heard her tell her team to put two mugs with the company's logo into the customer's bag, I knew she understood what "Delight the Customer" means.

4.     You never have to make up for a good start. If a project or a job gets off to a bad start it can be difficult to catch up. Do your planning up front so you get a good start and you won't regret it.

5.     Train Your Supervisors. The key to your business success is the productivity of your employees. The key to employee productivity is their perception of their immediate supervisor. Invest in training your supervisors and managers. It will pay off.

6.     Under-promise and over-deliver. This goes beyond the old adage 'don't promise what you can't deliver'. Instead, deliver more than what you promised. It's a good way to build customer rapport - both outside and inside the company.

7.     Your first obligation is to the customer. More like #1 above, but it must be repeated. Without customers you don't have a business. Treat them with the same respect you expect when you are a customer. Make sure everyone in your organization understands the importance of customer service, and again, acts accordingly.

8.     YOU have to make a difference. The group you manage has to be more effective and more productive with you there than they would be if you were not. If they are as productive without you, then I am sorry to say that there is no business sense in keeping you on the payroll. As callous as this sounds, you and/or your Managers need to understand this truth about the business world.

9.     Your biggest business challenge is your competition. They have to take away your customers in order to survive or grow. There is no other way. How are they going to do that? How can you stop them? How can you steal their customers? How do they steal yours? Don't wait for it to happen. Constantly anticipate and prepare. They may have a different product, or a lower price point, but if you can "out service" them, you cannot be competed against.

10.    Follow Through on Sales Promises. Don't let your sales people make promises the company can't meet. If they tell a customer they can have eleventy-billion (sic) widgets "tomorrow before 10", they better be sure that many are already in the warehouse and the transportation has already been arranged. Nothing loses customers faster than broken promises.

11.    Doing it right costs less than doing it over. I have often noticed that people will tell me why there was never enough time to do it right, but that there always seems to be enough time to do it over. Save the costs, including customer dissatisfaction and lower worker morale, by concentrating on doing the job right the first time.

12.    Don't Be A De-Motivator. Your job as a leader is to get and keep your people motivated and working toward the common goal. Demeaning them, to their face or to others, erodes their motivation. So does dismissively telling them that their ideas are dumb or stupid, or simply laughing when one is put forth. Watch your own actions to be sure you aren't defeating your own efforts by demotivating your people.

13.    Keep the flame alive. When people join your organization they are all fired up and ready to do great things. Over time we all too often wear down that enthusiasm. Instead, do what you can to fan the flames of their enthusiasm and you will be amazed at their output.

14.    You Can't Listen With Your Mouth Open. Your associates, your employees, your suppliers, your customers all have something of value in what they have to say. Listen to the people around you. You will never learn what it is if you drown them out by talking all the time. Remember, the only thing that can come out of your mouth is something you already know. Be quiet and learn.

15.    Appearance Does Matter. It may be a sad commentary on our superficial society, but appearance does matter. Whether it's the packaging on your product, the first impression you make when calling on a new client, or your company's web site people notice how things look. They care about how things look and make judgments about you and/or your product based on appearance.

16.    Get your people involved. It's a lot easier to get employees to stand behind a company decision if they have the opportunity to participate in the discussion. Management still has to make the decision, but if they have had the opportunity to make their point of view known employees are more apt to stand behind the ultimate decision, even if they don't agree with it. Open town halls are a great way to elicit opinions and thoughts, even if (or especially if) your employees notice something you are doing to demotivate them or damage the business. Most people want to do a good job and see their place of employment succeed, and if given an honest chance, they will work very hard to make it so.

17.    Fix the problem, not the blame. It is far more productive, and less expensive, to figure out what to do to fix a problem for the customer that has come up than it is to waste time trying to decide who's fault it was.

18.    Actively listen. Listen to your customers, your employees, your suppliers, and anyone else who comes in contact with your business. Honestly evaluate what they have to say, without letting your ego get in the way, and you will probably learn something that benefits your business.

If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com.
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Project Management for Dummies, Part I

2014-09-12T16:43:00.002-04:00

"Project managers function as bandleaders who pull together their players each a specialist with individual score and internal rhythm. Under the leader's direction, they all respond to the same beat."

~L.R. Sayles

"Plans A through Q have this deal going through"

~Michael Sabia, CEO of BCE., when questioned if there was a plan B should his proposal not go through. It didn't and there wasn't.

"Plans are nothing; planning is everything"
~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Congratulations! You've just been appointed to manage a project. Now what? How do you get started? What steps do you do next? How do you maximize your chances for success?

Whenever we examine any project before us, we usually identify what the obstacles are exactly, and identify that they need to be overcome. But that's only the most basic step. What is missing is a detailed analysis of not only what needs to be done, but how, why and when.

In this first part, I have written down these basic project management steps below as a guide through the process of managing any project that should help you set up the markers you will need to start.

Here's How:

     1. Define the Scope
The first, and most important, step in any project is defining the scope of the project. What is it you are supposed to accomplish by managing this project? What is the project objective?

Equally important is defining what is not included in the scope of your project. This is an often overlooked definition. If you don't get enough definition from your boss, clarify the scope yourself and send it back upstairs for confirmation.

     2. Determine Available Resources
What people, equipment, and funds will you have available to you to achieve the project objectives? As a project manager, you usually will not have direct control of these resources, but will have to manage them through matrix managing (where there are 2 different superiors you report to; one is operational in nature and the other is functional). Find out how easy or difficult that will be to do.

     3. Check the Timeline
When does the project have to be completed? As you develop your project plan you may have some flexibility in how you use time during the project, but deadlines usually are fixed. If you decide to use overtime hours to meet the schedule, you must weigh that against the limitations of your budget.

     4. Assemble Your Project Team
Get the people on your team together and start a dialog. They are the experts. That's why their functional supervisor assigned them to the project. If you don't have any experts you can rely on, request the right people be assigned to you, or request permission to go and get them. Your job isn't to be the expert. Your job is to manage the experts.

     5. List the Big Steps
What are the major pieces of the project? If you don't know, start by asking your team. It is a good idea to list the steps in chronological order but don't obsess about it; you can always change the order later.

     6. List the Smaller Steps
List the smaller steps in each of the larger steps. Again, it usually helps you remember all the steps if you list them in chronological order. How many levels deep you go of more and more detailed steps depends on the size and complexity of your project.

     7. Develop a Preliminary Plan
Assemble all your steps into a plan. What happens first? What is the next step? Which steps can go on at the same time with different resources? Who is going to do each step? How long will it take? There are many excellent software packages available that can automate a lot of this detail for you. Ask others in similar positions what they use.

     8. Create Your Baseline Plan
Get feedback on your preliminary plan from your team and from any other stakeholders. Adjust your timeline and work schedules to fit the project into the available time. Make any necessary adjustments to the preliminary plan to produce a baseline plan.

     9.   Hope is not a Plan. Hope is not a Strategy
I have often asked my direct reports to memorize this mantra and to teach their teams the same. I can't tell you how many times I have heard the most detailed and exhaustive plans rely on uncontrollable variables that are assumed to be, wondrously enough, all in their favor. Analyze your plan impartially.  Are there any variables that are beyond your direct control or influence?  And if so, have you accounted for all the possible outcomes? If not, you need to keep these back up plans as viable alternatives to your primary plans, and allocate for the possibility that you may have to bring them from the background to the foreground at any time as the project progresses.

     9. Request Project Adjustments
There is almost never enough time, money or talent assigned to a project. Your job is to do more with the limited resources than people expect. However, there are sometimes limits placed on a project that are simply unrealistic. You need to make your case and present it to your boss and request these unrealistic limits be changed. Ask for the changes at the beginning of the project. Don't wait until it's in trouble to ask for the changes you need.

     10. Work Your Plan, But Don't Die For It
Robert Burns wrote about "The best laid schemes of mice and men....", but whereas he was apologizing to the mouse who's nest he upturned, the meaning of his poem was poignant to Project Managers: The most carefully prepared plans may (some say will) go wrong.

Making the plan is important, but the plan can be changed. You have a plan for driving to work every morning. If one intersection is blocked by an accident, you change your plan and go a different way. Do the same with your project plans. Change them as needed, but always keep the scope and resources in mind

     11. Monitor Your Team's Progress
Never confuse effort with results. You will make little progress at the beginning of the project, but you should have started by then to monitor what everyone is doing anyway. That will make it easier to catch issues or failures before they become problems and threaten to derail the results.

     12. Document Everything
Keep records. Every time you change from your baseline plan, write down what the change was and why it was necessary. Every time a new requirement is added to the project write down where the requirement came from and how the timeline or budget was adjusted because of it. You can't remember everything, so write them down so you'll be able to look them up at the end-of-project review and learn from them.

     13. Keep Everyone Informed
Keep all the project stakeholders informed of progress all along. Let them know of your success as you complete each milestone, but also inform them of problems as soon as they come up. Also keep you team informed. If changes are being considered, tell the team about them as far ahead as you can. Make sure everyone on the team is aware of what everyone else is doing.

In part 2, we will examine different Project Management styles, and what situations are appropriate for them. You can link directly to it here.
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If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com.

Romeo and Juliet are Dead....

2014-09-06T20:45:00.004-04:00

"You walk into a room. It is completely bare. There is nothing inside except two bodies. Romeo and Juliet are dead. They are lying close to each other in a large puddle of water, surrounded by broken glass. Their bodies are under an open window. You are the only person who has been inside this bare room. Please write down what you think happened to Romeo and Juliet, and how you think they died. Your answer must take into account all the clues mentioned herein."

This was an actual question on a psychological and personality evaluation test that I wrote as part of the selection process for joining a special purpose team. The memory of this question has remained with me for all these years because of what it was trying to gauge: The ability to think creatively and with inspiration when confronted with a problem - or what we call in the business world, "thinking outside the box".

When faced with an unexpected challenge, or an unorthodox (re: "never" seen before) one, it is the ability to improvise and not merely respond in a habitual learned manner that seperates the simple from the great leaders.

There was no real wrong answer (there was, however, as I correctly figured out, a right one) to this puzzle; it simply gave a glimpse into how the subject's thought process worked (if they worked in the problem-solving vein at all. Some people's do not).

Romeo and Juliet are dead. They are close to each other, in a large puddle of water.

In the business world, we are often faced with perplexing puzzles that offer no easy answers. "Why did our sales not increase as a result to that brilliant marketing plan" or "Why are we not attracting the best people and losing the ones we have?" are two very often voiced concerns (or paraphrased examples of these concerns) I have often heard the mistake wasn't in making the plan, but in assuming that once the step-by-step checklist was drawn up and the appropriate people signed off on it, the list could then become reality and ipso facto run it's course to it's logical (ergo successful) conclusion.

It's "management-by-numbers" for dummies, and it doesn't work.

In order for strategies to work, certain assumptions have to be made first. Those assumptions need to then be tested for veracity - some will be correct, others won't. Then the strategy needs to be reworked to take these new facts into account. The plan then needs to be mentally weighed and compared against certain elements that managers are aware of, such as the overall plan for the quarter/half/year; or a new directive or policy that has been adopted. The leader then takes all these facts and tries to project himself into the future to see how his reworked plan should play itself out, taking into account everything he knows so far.

Romeo and Juliet are dead. They are surrounded by broken glass.

So far, anyone can do what I've described above. But where the inspired leader comes into his own; where the "cause and effect" model of action and reaction are left by the way side is when the leader takes what he or she already knows about the situation, and injects some of his or her own personal feelings into the mix. It's not scientific, and it certainly cannot be quantifiable nor taught, but often times, I have observed that the most successful leaders had a deeper grasp of what was the correct course of action to take exactly because they listened to how they felt about it.

There is an allegory going around that when Steve Jobs was first shown what his engineers and designers had come up with as a prototype for the 1st generation iPod, he rejected it. Why? It was certainly feasable, practical, and could have easily and cheaply be mass produced, and it would serve to satisfy the operating criteria that was drawn up for it. It was, in other words, completely logical.

Romeo and Juliet are dead. Their bodies are under an open window.

But Steve Jobs didn't like it. It didn't elicit a positive feeling from him. It wasn't visceral. He stood up and drew a rectangle with a cirlce at the bottom of it and asked his team to build it like his drawing. The rest, as they say, is history.

But how did Steve Jobs know his design would be the "correct" one? How did he know that it would be more successful and more acceptable by the consumer than the most assuredly well designed, if somewhat industrial looking, prototype he was originally presented with by his experts?

I do not claim any insight into the man's mind - nor did he ever call me up and speak to me about it - but it would safe to say that whereas he didn't know if his "circle within a rectangle" would be embraced by the public, he certainly knew that an entertainment device should look, well, kind of cool and not like a cold, utilitarian one.

Romeo and Juliet are dead. You are the only person who has been inside this bare room.

He had the hard facts that his engineers were telling him, to which he added an improvised design that was based on his feelings on the matter, and changed the world, and his company, forever.

It is this act - that he had the courage to listen to what his feeling were telling him without fear that he would be ridiculed or suffer any blowback for it - that should be cultivated and immitated in your teams everytime you put your proverbial heads collectively together to overcome any challenge before you. It was his improvising that gave a solution to which there was no wrong answer, but there was certainly a right one; the one that made the most sense now in hindsight.

Managing your decisions with logic and cold calculations is only effective to a point. After that, it sometimes only serves to obfuscate what is the right thing to do.

Sometimes, for a leader, that obvious answer is the hardest to see. But that's what we're paid to do.

Romeo and Juliet are dead.

Of course they are.

Fish can't survive long if their bowl falls off a window ledge and breaks open on the floor. After all.....

....Where did it say that this Romeo and Juliet were people?

Lessons from a Pool Hall

2013-05-28T10:54:00.002-04:00

"In the past, a leader was a boss. Today's leaders must be partners with their people....they no longer can lead solely based on positional power" - Ken Blanchard

"Everyone has a sign around their neck that says 'Make me feel important!'. Never forget that when working with people" - Mary Ash

"To be trusted is a better compliment than to be loved" - George MacDonald

In the neighborhood I grew up in, there were many opportunities to get into trouble. And if it was too cold, or too wet, or if you just needed a place to hang out and kill time, there were enough pool halls and billiard rooms in that neighborhood at the time to fill a city block from end to end all the way around.

Invariably, as teenagers often do, I found my way into one of them. Besides the usual coterie of men playing cards or drinking coffee in a smoke filled and darkened room, replete with the smell of beer, stale cigarettes, and old wood, there was something else I learned in those pool halls that I've carried with me during all this time since those days.

Coffee can bring people together.

Pool halls are great equalizers. No one cares how old or young you are. No one cares about the color of your skin, your religion, your ethnic background. No one cares if you pulled up in a Mercredes or on a bicycle. What really matters is how you behave while you're there. It's all about getting along, even if you disagree.

Especially if you disagree.

And you'd be disagreeing with people (seemingly) hourly; about whether your shot kissed another ball or not, about whether you were taking too much time deciding to call another's hand in a game of cards or not, about money owed, about politics, about sports, about current events, about history.

And in the end, after all the loud and vigorous debating, you'd settle down with a cup of coffee and talk; reinforcing and cementing bonds of respect that would see you through the next (inevitable) disagreement.

Those thousands of cups of coffee and conversations were an opportunity to sit, listen and learn from another individual. That kind of a conversation can also be powerful employee motivation as well. Just like in a pool hall, it can head off conflict. It can aid in solidifying relationships, or in starting new ones. Just sharing a cup of coffee gives you a great chance to learn important information about yourself, your employees, your company, and even your competitors.

Coffee with Your Employees

Do you have regular meetings with each of your key employees, your direct reports? Are these weekly meeting frequently interrupted because both of you are so busy and someone always has a "crisis" that needs one or the other of you to deal with it? Do you ever feel you could get more done if you just had a half hour without interruptions? Maybe getting out of the board room and taking the other person out for a cup of coffee is the solution.

One place I worked had a coffee shop in the ground floor of the building and another across the street. There was also a breakfast restaurant half a block away where you could get coffee. However, usually I would just sneak off to the employee lunch room. I would "buy" a cup of coffee for the person I was meeting with and we would sit at one of the tables and talk. No phones, no cell phones, and I would ignore my Blackberry.

Coffee Isn't Always Coffee

"Grabbing a cup off coffee together" doesn't have to only mean coffee. If you or the person with whom you are meeting doesn't care for coffee, or just wants a break from it, there are plenty of alternatives. Tea and cocoa are a couple of other alternatives that come to mind. In fact, in many countries, tea may be the preferred alternative. However, it doesn't have to stop there. The whole point is to get away from the distractions for a little while, so the beverage really doesn't matter. Bottled water may suit. Sports drinks, fruit juices, and sodas are all acceptable. It only needs to be something relatively inexpensive that is readily available, can be served quickly, and that you can linger over while you talk.

Coffee Has No Alcohol

The one thing you want to avoid is anything alcoholic. Regardless of the time of day, going out for a "beer" or "having a glass of wine" makes it more of a social event than a business meeting. Besides, you don't want either of you to be impaired, and alcohol can do that. Certainly, there can be the temptation to get the other person to relax a little so they will be more open with you, but using alcohol to do so is unethical and underhanded. Being open and honest with them will produce the same results without the potential embarrassment.

Listen. Really Listen.

Remember the reason you are having this chat in the coffee shop instead of your office is to learn something from the other person. It might be that you want them to get all the way through the trouble report without an interruption. It could be that you want to hear their ideas for the new product or how to fix the old one. It can be just as important to check their temperature as to check the coffee's and to find out if they are overstressed and why. The key element in all of these is you need to keep your mouth shut and your ears open.

Listening, of course, is more than just letting the other person speak. You have to focus your undivided attention on what they are saying. Remember you left the office to get away from the distractions there, so don't distract yourself here by letting your mind wander. Actively listening also means occasionally repeating a statement of theirs back to them to show you are listening and to encourage them to keep talking. The Japanese even have a word for this, aizuchi.

Managing This Issue

A coffee break gives you a chance to get away from the distractions and interruptions. It allows people to connect in a more human, social way which in turn allows for a chance to understand eachother or at the very least, each person's position. It can also act as a release valve to vent any pressure or frustrations the other party might feel and result in more open and frank conversations with your peers or subordinates. It is a simple and effective way to build those relationships that are so crucial in our careers. Who knows? It may even lead to new friendships that will stay with us long after we leave the business world.

Wouldn't that be great?

If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com
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The Art and Science of Managing

2013-04-16T16:08:00.003-04:00

"Management by objectives works if you first think through your objectives. Ninety percent of the time you haven't" - Peter Drucker

"He asks us where do we want to go and helps us get there. He stands up for us. He cheers us on. He makes sure we get noticed by the higher ups for our good work and he never stop believing in us. He deserves better than to be stuck here in Toronto, working for people like you."
- Anonymous assessment of a Manager by a subordinate during a reverse performance review.

"Officers - Making simple stuff hard since 1775" - Seen on a USMC t-shirt

My youngest child once asked what my job was. Deciding to keep it simple, I told him that I was a manager. His next 3 questions, fired off in that precocious way of children, were not as simple to answer: "What is a manager?", "What do managers do?", "How do you manage?"

These are standard questions that most of us in the management profession have been (or should have been) asked more than once. And questions we should have asked once or twice of ourselves at some point in our careers too.

Here, then, is a basic look at management, a primer.

Make Them More Effective
Consider this: four workers can make 6 units in an eight-hour shift without a manager. If I hire you to manage them and they still make 6 units a day, what is the benefit to my business of having hired you? On the other hand, if they now make 8 units per day, you, the manager, have value.

The same analogy applies to service, or retail, or teaching, or any other kind of work. Can your group handle more customer calls with you than without? Sell higher value merchandise? Impart knowledge more effectively? etc. That is the value of management - making a group of individual more effective.

Artis et Scientiae
Management is both art and science. It is the art of making people more effective than they would have been without you. I have yet to find or even hear of any book that can teach this ability, for it is not an empirical formula that if but simply followed will obtain the desired results. People are too dynamic, too diverse, and too individualistic for that. The art will come from you putting your own personal stamp on how you make your people more effective - your personal style, if you will.

The science is in how you do that. There are, I have come to understand, four basic pillars, which I will repeat here. These are all self evident and well known to any front line manager: plan, organize, direct, and monitor.

Management Skill #1: Plan

Management starts with planning. Good management starts with good planning. And proper prior planning prevents… well, you know the rest of that one.

Without a plan you will never succeed. If you happen to make it to the goal, it will have been by luck or chance and is not repeatable. You may make it as a flash-in-the-pan, an overnight sensation, but you will never have the track record of accomplishments of which success is made.

Figure out what your goal is (or listen when your boss tells you). Then figure out the best way to get there. What resources do you have? What can you get? Compare strengths and weaknesses of individuals and other resources. Will putting four workers on a task that takes 14 hours cost less than renting a machine that can do the same task with one worker in 6 hours? If you change the first shift from an 8 AM start to a 10 AM start, can they handle the early evening rush so you don't have to hire an extra person for the second shift?

This skill requires objective reasoning; not wishful thinking and certainly not assumption making. Verify your conclusions using empirical evidence (if possible) that can be verified.

Look at all the probable scenarios. Plan for them. Figure out the worst possible scenario and plan for that too. Evaluate your different plans and develop what, in your best judgement, will work the best and what you will do if it doesn't.

One of the most often overlooked management planning tools is the most effective: Asking the people doing the work for their input.

Management Skill #2: Organize

Now that you have a plan, you have to make it happen. Is everything ready ahead of your group so the right stuff will get to your group at the right time? Is your group prepared to do its part of the plan? Is the downstream organization ready for what your group will deliver and when it will arrive?

Are the workers trained? Are they motivated? Do they have the equipment they need? Are there spare parts available for the equipment? Has purchasing ordered the material? Is it the right stuff? Will it get here on the appropriate schedule?

Do the legwork to make sure everything needed to execute the plan is ready to go, or will be when it is needed. Check back to make sure that everyone understands their role and the importance of their role to the overall success.

Management Skill #3: Direct

Now flip the "ON" switch. Tell people what needs to be done - don't tell them how to do it (if you have to tell them how to do the task, you obviously didn't complete #1 and #2 listed above). I like to think of this part like conducting an orchestra. Everyone in the orchestra has the music sheets in front of them. They know which section is playing which piece and when. They know when to come in, what to play, how to play it and when to stop again. The conductor cues each section to make the music happen (that's your job here). You've given all your musicians (workers) the sheet music (the plan). You have the right number of musicians (workers) in each section (department), and you've arranged the sections on stage so the music will sound best (you have organized the work). Now you need only to tap the podium lightly with your baton to get their attention and give the downbeat.

Management Skill #4: Monitor

Now that you have everything moving, you have to keep an eye on things. Make sure everything is going according to the plan. When it isn't going according to plan, you need to step in and adjust the plan, just as the orchestra conductor will adjust the tempo. Keep everyone up to date both formaly (during SITREP meetings) and informaly (in emails, small talk, etc....). Everyone has a vested interest and just like an Orchestra can hear the music they and their peers are making, you need to make sure the same happens in your group; only it's you who are their ears and it is you who must convey to them where they and their peers are on the sheet.

Problems will come up. Someone will get sick. A part won't be delivered on time. A key customer will go bankrupt. That is why you developed a contingency plan in the first place (right?). You, as the manager, have to be always aware of what's going on so you can make the adjustments required.

This is an iterative process. When something is out of sync, you need another Plan to fix it. Organize the resources to make it work, Direct the people who will make it happen, and continue to Monitor the effect of the change.

Is It Worth It?
Managing people is not easy. However, it can be done successfully. And it can be a very rewarding experience. Remember that management, like any other skill, is something that you can improve at with study and practice.

If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com
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Laughing on the Rocky Road to Dublin

2013-04-11T13:34:00.000-04:00

"By starving emotions, we become humorless, rigid, and stereotyped; by representing them, we become literal, reformatory, exceeders. They perfume life. Without them, they poison it" - Joseph Collins

"You know how they say that if Life give you lemons, you should make lemonade? Well, when I do that, I then go out and find someone who has Vodka and sit down and have a party" - Bob White

"A sense of humor is a much needed armor. Joy in the heart and laughter on the lips is a sign that the person deep down has a pretty good grasp on life" - Hugh Sidey

Picture this: a team of young men and women behind the front-lines somewhere in a war zone in Africa, walking exposed on uneven dirt paths in a difficult, high-risk area. And if that’s not tough enough, each has their backs weighed down in the oppressive humidity with supplies destined for another village, knowing full well that what they carry is a very tempting prize to the local warlords. As are the women in the group. They each know that there is no back up, no evacuation, no rescue, should hostilities break out and they are forced to use what little ammunition they have to defend themselves, their cargo, or their colleagues.

But every night, after they've secured the perimeter and posted sentries, it's the same. The Czech soldier in this group produces a small, toy-like guitar from within his backpack and asks the group (in his thick Eastern European accent). "Please...what song you want hear? Jazz? Rock? Heavy Metal?"

It was all a ruse, we knew, because no matter what is requested, no matter how simple a song (he was tested with "Smoke on the Water" and "Mary had a little Lamb" many, many times) he would nod his head enthusiastically and knowingly, as if to say "I know that one!" and invariably launch into the opening bars of "Rocky Road to Dublin"; the only song he ever learned to play. The laughter of his colleagues would mingle with the sounds of a dozen accented voices trying to sing the words we all knew by now - even if some of the members of the group who came from non-English speaking countries just knew how to pronounce them rather than what they meant - which admittedly, made it all the more humorous.

"In the merry month of June,

From me home I started,

Left the girls of Tuam,

So sad and brokenhearted,

Saluted father dear,

Kissed me darling mother,

Drank a pint of beer,

Me grief and tears to smother,

Then off to reap the corn,

To leave where I was born,

Cut a stout Blackthorn,

To banish ghosts and goblins,

Bought a pair of brogues,

Battling o'er the bogs,

Frightened all the dogs,

On the Rocky Road to Dublin,

One-Two-Three-Four-Five,

Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road,

And all the way to Dublin,

Whack-fo-la-dee-daa"

"It was our way of keeping up morale," one of the squad leaders would later remark to me. "We were so overwhelmed, so stressed, so burned out. This is how we keep our sanity in and the terror out."

As more and more organizations re-engineer, merge, restructure, down size, right size, and even capsize, employees confront uncertainty on an almost daily basis. The rules keep changing in terms of what they're supposed to do, how they’re supposed to do it, who they do it for, and whether they should do it at all.

And since most have little or no control over the making of these rules, the result is often a sense of powerlessness that translates into increased stress, decreased wellness, demoralization, absenteeism, and lower productivity, all of which affect rates of retaining employees.

And as I have repeatedly pointed out in these pages, people are an organization’s number one asset, and losing them costs money.

So the big question for both individuals and organizations is: how do you keep up spirits, continue to work effectively, and maintain health and sanity in volatile and stressful situations? The team described above chose to laugh.

They could have also chosen despair, cynicism, bitterness, or negativity, but instead team members chose laughter. As one American teammate would tell me years later, "We could either have cried every night when we were together, or we could have laughed. But when you cry, you cry alone and you can only do that for so long. We had decided somehow that we'd had enough of crying, and it was time to do something else."

So, how do you help employees, who have little or no control over external events, survive such uncertain and stressful situations? Organizations need to encourage employees to take control over the one aspect of the situation they do control - how they choose to respond to it.

And on those days where workers feel overwhelmed, overworked, and have no idea what's going to happen next, the only rational, life-affirming response is to go find some colleagues, and break out the clown noses, kazoos, and Groucho glasses.

Why Laughter?

Why is laughter such a positive choice? We all know that it makes us feel good, but in today’s bottom-line oriented workplace, the term "feel good" is too nebulous to have much impact on how people go about structuring their job interactions and professional relationships.

And most organizations are not going to promote humor as part of their culture because some hierarchy devotee thinks that having the boss come to work dressed as a chicken will create (heaven forbid) a happy afterglow.

So any discussion of the benefits of laughter needs to be more tangible and focused on addressing positive morale, a major factor contributing to retaining valued employees. Remember though, humor is a coping mechanism to aid in retaining employees, not a cure-all for other systemic problems affecting organizations.

Boosting Morale

It's a common theme. An organization keeps cutting staff until the people left feel like they can't cope anymore. Unfortunately, the organization I’m thinking of didn't take into account what this would do to the morale of the "survivors."

Management was unwilling to listen to their concerns, and when anyone did voice them, they were labeled as disloyal. Teamwork plummeted, with employees adopting a "me first" attitude. The office atmosphere was poisonous, rife with gossip, rumors, and backstabbing.

"This feels like hell. I’d never recommend this company to anyone, and I just hope I can survive until I take early retirement," said one long-term employee to me.

Like the team of young people in Africa, this group found themselves in a bad situation over which they had no control. Sadly though, members were not encouraged to make use of humor, the one coping mechanism they had left.

Instead, management saw it as a frivolous waste of time, a sentiment which came to be echoed by the employees. "We're living in hell. We're too busy to laugh, and besides, it won't change anything" was a common refrain among employees with whom I talked.

However, they were wrong.

According to Steve Lipman, who researched the use of humor during the Holocaust, "Wit produced on the precipice of hell was not frivolity but psychological necessity. Humor is one of the greatest gifts God gave mankind to pull itself out of despair."

In today's uncertain work environment, humor isn't an option, it's a necessary way to boost morale.

When employees clown around, they’re not wasting valuable time, they're making use of one of the few tools available to increase and maintain their esprit de corps. Laughter may not change the external reality, but it can certainly help people survive it.

This has been proven in some pretty dire situations. Lipman cites an example of how a group of Auschwitz inmates put on vaudeville shows to provide laughter for the camp population. According to one, "We had to make jokes to save ourselves from deep depression."

Somehow these people, on the brink of death, realized that their morale and survival depended on keeping their ability to laugh alive. As a group, they took the time and energy to make it happen.

Even though nothing could be as horrible as Auschwitz, people in almost all workplaces can learn from this example. Take the time and energy to share humor. Those brave concentration camp inmates proved that humor is a choice, and no matter how much adversity people face, whether at work or in their personal lives, they can still choose laughter. In fact, the worse a situation gets, the more important it becomes to make that choice.

Making Humor Happen In Your Organization

So what can organizations do to encourage the use of humor as a coping mechanism? On a recent trip, I flew on WestJet Airlines, and found that the crew had turned the usually boring safety announcement into a stand-up comedy routine. My favorite line was, "The floor lighting will come on in the event of an emergency landing......or of a Disco revival."

Upon inquiring, I learned that the CEO of WestJet Airlines in Canada believes that work should be fun. He sets precedents through his own behavior, and by encouraging employees to enjoy their jobs. He makes it safe for the people he employs to use humor by leading the way.

And the payoff? All WestJet employees I spoke to said how much they loved working for the company because it was so much fun. And their enjoyment was reflected in great service to the passengers. They expressed their appreciation of the humor and their intention to continue flying WestJet.

On another recent flight on Virgin America, the pilot came on the intercom to thank us for our patronage, but instead of the usual script, he instead said "We really hoped you enjoyed your flight with Virgin America - and if you didn't.....we would appreciate it if you kept that fact to yourself, m'kay? I have 2 ex wives to support. Thanks".

Richard Branson's business model for his airline is as refreshingly irreverent as his disdain for the "suit and tie" culture of most organizations. Much like WestJet, his employees enjoy connecting with the consumer on a more human level, and use humor to reach that goal because "the boss" encourages it.

In order to help employees use humor, organizations can also provide them with the tools and to set an example as well. A company I visited out west started every training group with an exercise called "the rubber chicken toss." Another provided their AR department with baskets of toys to use as stress-busters, and made it clear that humor was encouraged as part of their organizational culture.

Permitting a harmless sing along by the camp fire did nothing to change the adversity that was faced in Africa, but it did create an atmosphere in which - at least temporarily - being there was fun. Or at least, not so stressful.

I often have had members of that team tell me that despite how much pain and misery they felt and saw, they stayed for their teammates and for the camaraderie.

And if a group of kids that had to regularly deal with those intense levels of stress can find a way to inject some fun into their workplace, so can anyone.

"Well in Mullingar that night,

I rested limbs so weary,

Started by daylight,

Me spirit's bright and cheery,

Took a drop of the pure,

That kept me heart from sinking,

That's the Paddy's cure,

Whenever he's on for drinking,

To see the Lassies smile,

Laughing all the while,

At me curious style,

Would set me heart a-bubbling,

Asked if I was hired,

Wages I required,

Till I was almost tired,

Of the Rocky Road to Dublin,

One-Two-Three-Four-Five,

Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road,

And all the way to Dublin,

Whack-fo-la-dee-daa"

If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com
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Retaining your greatest Asset: Your Employees

2012-10-15T10:50:00.000-04:00

"When people go to work, they shouldn't have to leave their hearts at home." ~ Betty Bender

"The important work of moving the company forward cannot wait to be done by the 'perfect' employee"

~ Georg Elliot

"Management means helping people to get the best out of themselves. Not in organizing things"

~ Lauren Appley

Remember the "good old days", when employees would stay with a company for their whole working life? Those times are long gone. Today, most employees are looking for more than just working in the same place until the retire. They want a rich, exciting, rewarding experience and career path. Today I'll look at some of the ways employees can be retained, thereby adding value to the company and to their own lives.

First, Pick the Right Ones

The most important step in creating a culture where people will want to stay is to pick the best employees in the first place. When employees stay with a company, there is a rhythm that sets expectation with new employees that this is a great place to work. Of course that rhythm has to start somewhere.

It is vital that the applicant is a good "fit" for the company, both short and long term. Look for a proven track record that demonstrates the right skills, knowledge and attitude. If the applicant is fresh out of school, look for related work in part time jobs or social organizations. If the applicant is applying for a customer service role, does he have any experience serving customers? If the applicant has had customer contact experience, ask what she liked about the position and listen for genuine thoughts and feelings about working with customers. Sometimes you will be surprised about what is said and, what is not said.

Often, applicants who have spent all their education on a specific subject, are looking for a stepping-stone into the company. That may be part of your strategic plan, just be sure that the applicant won't do a lousy job with your customers and then hope you will send him to the Development department. After all, what kind of message is that for the rest of the staff who are working hard to do a great job in support? Mess up and get promoted?

The applicant's attitude and aptitude is most important. An employee who gives all is more valuable, in the long run, than the spineless shoe polisher who is serving his/her own needs. Look for someone who wants to serve and demonstrates the ability and desire to develop skills and gain knowledge. Is the applicant going to contribute to or take from the company? Does the applicant have special skills and knowledge that can be shared with fellow employees? Does the applicant value sharing their expertise to help others succeed? Allow applicants to spend hours with your staff and then get his feedback and observations. Ask the staff for their opinion as to the "fit" of the applicant and factor in their feedback.

Next, determine if the long-term goals of the employee fit with the needs of the business. Many people start out in support and then migrate to other parts of the company. Will the applicant's aspirations be fulfilled in other parts of the company? Will her career track opportunities be at the right speed for her? Is there a long term fit?

Set Expectations

To make sure you are off to a great start, set clear expectations up front. Does the applicant have career goals and are they realistic? Make sure the applicant knows what kind of career paths are available, time in positions or department requirements, and what it takes to move up. Often a position in Marketing, for example, requires a 4-year degree, or more. If the applicant does not meet the requirements, there should be a discussion regarding additional educational required. The applicant should know what the steps are to move within the company. Some companies have rules about internal transfers to keep certain departments from being the incubator for all other departments. Rapid movement through the company is hard on the customers, peers, managers, and training.

Career Guidance

To help employees develop and progress, a career development program is helpful. This should be simply time set aside for coaching an employee through his or her career. Remember, only guide, and don't force career paths. The employee's self-motivation should be the driving force. Some employees are not looking for an ever-ascending career and are very happy doing what they are already doing. Employees taking that approach add stability and wealth to the department and should be appreciated.

Leaders who provide career guidance need to know what is available within the company and would most likely need help and support from Human Resources. There are many questions about job pre-requisites, salary ranges, job responsibilities, and the like.

A Company's Best Investment

When employees are being continuously developed they feel valued. Conversely, lack of training rapidly devalues an employee's worth. Training is the very best investment any company can make in its employees.

Here's a familiar question I've been often asked: "What if I train them and they leave?"

Here's how the conversation usually progresses next:
Me - "Ok, so what do you think will happen then if you don't train them?"
Them - "They will also leave".
Me - "And what if you don't train them? And they stay?"
A - "Oh....."

In fact, not only do employees love training, many love to train others. There is a great deal of satisfaction in being the subject matter expert and having the responsibility of sharing expertise. Along these lines, if an employee is weak in a certain area, ask the employee to learn the product or subject and then teach it to others. This approach can be very effective since the employee does not want to look foolish in front of peers and will overachieve.

To illustrate how much training you are providing, create a public display, Bulletin Board or web page, showing a matrix of all the products and subjects that require training and who have been trained on each. In addition, show who is qualified to teach each subject. There's nothing like visualization to show how much training you are providing.

Demonstrate that Employees are Valued

Employees who are allowed to have meaningful input into the organization feel attached and valued. They can have input regarding departmental work rules, social events, recognition programs and work flow processes. The more they are involved, the more they take ownership and contribute with emotion, passion, commitment, and conviction.

It is commonly believed that a leader's primary role is to develop people. Ideally, the more development that occurs, the more each individual will be able to work and contribute independently. Good leaders must support, coach, mentor and train there employees. When the employee is new to a task, he needs direction and support. When he is skilled in a task, leave him/her alone and get out of the way. An effective leader provides direction and support depending on the development level of the employee. One size does not fit all. And, a leader who uses one style, for everyone, is providing a disservice to most of his or her employees.

The Heart of the Matter

We learned from Frederick Herzberg, 50 years ago, that humans are motivated and de-motivated by basically the same conditions. Herzberg says that the primary motivator is Self Achievement. This is the sense of being valued by co-workers, family and friends. When people feel valued, they will behave in extraordinary ways. The second strongest motivator is Recognition. Recognition is vital as it reinforces the feeling of being valued. Have you ever heard of anyone saying they have a "thankless" job? You know that person is very unhappy. The third motivator is the Work Itself. Considering that most of us spend almost triple the time at work as we do with our family, the work content is extremely important and is an integral part of the career. A discussion of pay comes later.

So, based on what we know from Herzberg's research, the work content and recognition are particularly important to the employee. Thus the leader must ensure the employee is performing meaningful work and receives the proper recognition for performing at or above standards. The leader must realize that the employee who does not feel she is performing meaningful work or does not get recognition for her work will soon look for an environment where she can get what she is seeking. Or worse, stay, gripe and damage morale. It is not likely that you can 'force fit' anyone into a position and he remain in the job long. This is why it is so important to make the correct applicant selection in the first place. Once they are onboard, you won't be able to re-mold them.

Review work content. It must provide an environment to learn and grow. It must allow for the opportunity to utilize developed skills and knowledge. The work must be a building block to the employee's long-term goals and objectives.

Look at recognition. Each employee needs to feel valued by peers, customers, and management. Each employee wants recognition that meets their individual's needs. Some like a lot of fanfare and public display and some like less public, subdued recognition. A good leader learns each employee's needs for recognition and applies gratitude appropriately. Never…one size fits all.

An element of recognition is how employees are measured. It is important that they believe performance measurements are fair and equitable. If they do not believe they are being fairly measured, they will not appreciate recognition or criticism. Having employees involved in the performance measurement processes will help obtain buy-in and enthusiasm. It is also a great way to set expectations for everyone.

Make Work Fun

Since distress can dramatically reduce productivity, creating a fun, relaxed environment will help reduce work related stressors. You probably already have employees who know how to create exciting games and events. Some folks are naturals at creating fun; use their creativity. Allow employees to vent their frustrations in an environment that will allow them to purge yet offer constructive advice on how to handle problems. Employee group sessions work well when everyone knows the ground rules and can offer each other suggestions. Some companies allow employees to share the goofiest or most frustrating situations and give a reward (stress relief ball?) for the best story.

Celebrate achievements. There are usually many projects and operational objectives going on at any time. Ensure that there is a positive, rewarding celebration when milestones and goals are reached. It is vital to reinforce desired behaviors in an obvious and substantial way. Rewards can be food (ice cream?), outings, bonuses (for really big events), time off, or ceremony (President presentation).

Work Hard, Play Hard

When employees play together, they form different bonds than just when working together. They get a chance to see co-workers in a different way and often find that they have more in common than previously realized. Stronger bonds create a natural teamwork that is not achievable in team building exercises. Outside team events can be activities like softball, picnics, bowling, river rafting, etc. These events can be quarterly or when goals are achieved.

When different groups or departments seem to be having too much conflict, put them together in outside playful activities. Get input from team members on the activities they like. Have them plan within your department's budget allowances. You can create fun awards and take pictures for the bulletin board to reinforce the event. Get them to laugh; it is the best medicine available.

Salary vs. Job Satisfaction

Going back to Herzberg's studies, he found that salary was far less influential than Self Achievement, Recognition, and Work Content. This seems to be more relevant to those who are well into their career and less relevant to those just starting a career. Looking at Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, we find that shelter, food, and security are primary motivating factors. When employees are entering the work force, they struggle to meet these basic needs with entry-level salaries. Often they will jump jobs for a 10% salary improvement. In these cases, money becomes more important than job content. Companies who offer rock bottom starting salaries often train new employees and then lose them quite quickly.

There is a financial decision that weighs turnover with the cost of higher salaries. Turnover offers many hidden costs such as employee recruiting costs, decreased productivity during learning curve, training time, impact on other team and company employees, increased supervision activities, and poorer customer service. Companies who understand turnover costs can easily justify improved salaries since in the long run, it is cheaper to keep great employees instead of continuously searching for new ones. It is the same philosophy as keeping customers versus getting new ones, over and over. Remember that old commercial, "Pay me now, or pay me later."

How many employees do you want to train for your competition?

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

One of the most destructive elements in any company is rumor. Leaders who communicate on a regular and ad hoc basis with the employees reduce rumors. Sharing plans and company/department status allows employees to feel valued and respected. Employees who know the bigger picture feel more involved and part of the company. It is easy to be dedicated to something you believe in. In order to develop loyalty, employees must feel the company wants and needs them and they are valued. The company must express satisfaction with the employee's contributions and demonstrate gratitude. Employees must never be taken for granted or viewed as non-human assets.

Effective communications can be obtained through staff meetings, ad-hoc employee meetings, brown bag lunches, newsletters (or intranet site), or small group roundtables. Often leaders find such communications very time consuming, but spend their time cleaning up misunderstandings due to insufficient communication. "Pay me now, or pay me later."

Managing the Issue

Nurture, train, develop, compensate, communicate, care for, and value your employees. If you picked the right ones in the first place, they will stay long enough to: contribute, connect with other employees and customers and enhance the value of your organization and company.
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If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com

Listen To What You're (Not) Hearing

2012-02-14T08:52:00.000-05:00

"The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people" ~ Woodrow Wilson

"Just being available and attentive is a great way to use listening as a management tool. Some employees will come in, talk for 20 minutes, and leave having solved their problems entirely by themselves" ~ Nicholas Luppa

"I would say listening to the other person's emotions may be the most important thing I've learned in twenty years of business" ~ Heath Herber, Herber Company

"Of all the skills of leadership, listening is the most valuable - and one of the least understood. Most captains of industry listen only sometimes, and they remain ordinary leaders. But a few, the great ones, never stop listening." ~ Peter Nulty, Fortune Magazine

Many times what your employees do not say is as important as what they do say. A manager has to develop the ability to listen to what employees are not saying and dig through that to get to the truth. Otherwise you will not be an effective leader. You will have the false perception that you are doing fine - right up to the minute you are fired and replaced by someone who can be effective. Let's look at two examples.

Mary, the new manager
Mary has recently been hired to manage the production department. She has been a production supervisor for a couple of years and was an inspector for a while as well. She has worked for a couple of bosses and always knew she could do better when she got a chance.

She gave two weeks notice to her previous employer and then took two weeks off before starting the new job. During that month she worked very hard to research her new company, to consolidate what she knew about production best practices, and to develop a specific and detailed plan to increase production and decrease errors.

Yesterday, she managed to corner her new boss and she showed the plan to him and explained how good it was. He replied that it "looked like a good plan". Buoyed by that support she called a meeting of her new department for Friday afternoon.

At the end of her first week, Mary held the department meeting. She had her flip charts ready. She had made copies for all employees and passed them out. She stepped through the many intricate charts she had prepared and explained to the department that beginning Monday they would start using this new plan because it would dramatically increase their production and decrease errors. Being a smart manager, she asked for their feedback. There were a few questions, mostly about how it would be possible to implement such sweeping changes by Monday, but not as many as she had expected. And there were no arguments. After she dismissed the group she packed away her materials for a future review meeting and congratulated herself on having prepared a plan that was so well received and that would make things so much better.

Joe, the seasoned manager
Joe has been around the block. He has been a manager for many years. He has worked in several different departments in the company and managed two other departments prior to taking over the Region. This region has always been one of the most productive in the company so he knows he doesn't need to make major changes. Yet he wants to keep things going well and justify the faith his VP has placed in him by promoting him to this position.

Joe knows a lot, but he also knows how to take advantage of the other smart people around him. He calls a meeting of the managers who report to him and asks them for suggestions on ways to get all the employees in the region motivated and excited about doing great things. One of the suggestions is to survey the employees. He thinks this is a great idea because for several years now the company has conducted online surveys of its customers to measure their satisfaction.

He drafts a short survey and, with a little help from IT, sends it to every employee in the region. The survey explains his interest in getting their input on ways to make things better. He gives them a week to complete the survey and is pleased to see results coming in almost immediately. Even though the survey is anonymous, he can figure out the office, if not the individual author, of some of the responses that come in. The responses are generally good and most of the comments are positive.

At the end of the week, Joe sits down and reviews the complete set of results. There are some things suggested that he can use, but not as many good ideas as he had hoped for. Still, he is pleased with the approach and decides to repeat it regularly. After all, the ratings were pretty good AND his response rate of 48% was more than double what the company gets on its customer surveys.

Both of these managers in the above examples committed the same mistake. What both of these people think they heard from their respective people is incomplete and incorrect. And here's why.

What did the employees say?
In both examples above, the employee responses indicated that they were listening to the manager's ideas and trying to understand them.

In Mary's case, the small number of questions might have been due to the fact that some people are reluctant to speak in front of a group. However, they also told her of a concern that things might be moving too fast. By questioning how it could all be put in place over the weekend, they were suggesting Mary slow down. While resistance to change is normal, and something a manger has to learn to handle, the fact that it was the most frequent employee comment should cause Mary to reconsider her implementation schedule.

Joe got a little more response than Mary did. That may have been due to the anonymous method he chose to collect the employee input. While he may have been able to figure out some of the respondents, he can't really go back to the people who made the good suggestions and get their feedback. That would reveal that the survey really wasn't anonymous and reduce the trust the employees have in him.

What didn't the employees say?
Mary's employees did NOT tell her that they agreed with her plan or that they would support it. Nor did her boss tell her that he agreed with her plan and would support her. Mary interpreted the lack of negative comments as support, but it is not. It is at best neutral, and probably negative. People who agree with the boss are more likely to speak up than those who disagree. People who aren't sure if they agree usually aren't active participants in a group setting because they don't want to look indecisive in front of everyone else.

As the new person, Mary could reasonably expect to face resentment from people who thought they should have been promoted into her position. That those people did not speak up in the meeting and try to embarrass or sabotage her should be a warning that there might some negative input that was not revealed.

Joe's employees did not tell him that they liked his anonymous survey. The fact that his response rate was more than double the customer satisfaction survey response rate is misleading. Employee surveys, especially anonymous ones, generally have much higher response rates than the 48% Joe's survey received.

In addition, the answers he did get may be biased and unrepresentative if his questions were not properly designed. If Joe asked "What do you like about the new bonus plan?", for example, he would get generally more favorable answers than if he asked, "Do you like the new bonus plan? Why or why not?"

Managing the Issue
Don't just listen to what is said. Don't just hear what you want to hear. Don't try to make all the responses you get support your premise. It is much more difficult, but much more valuable to listen also to what is not said.

Try to set up your meetings, your surveys, and your company culture so that you get good dialog. Healthy discussion and even disagreement is better than surrounding yourself with "yes men". You already know why your ideas are good. What you want to listen for are the reasons why they might not be perfect. Don't silence the dissenting voices. Don't assume silence is agreement. Usually it is not. Dig deep enough to learn what your employees are not saying and you will be a better and more effective manager.
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If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com

K.P.I. - More Valuable Than 9 Scrabble Points

2012-01-12T14:05:00.007-05:00

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."

~ General George S. Patton

"Performance is your reality. Forget everything else"
~ Harold S. Geneen

"All of us here are trying to reach 100% in our work, no matter what our jobs are. That's all we struggle to do. We never do it, of course, but we never stop trying. And it's in that striving to achieve 100% where our performance lies. That's what the company gets really. It gets the struggle"
~ Conversation with a colleague as to why KPIs are important in measuring our effort

Most organizations, regardless of the field they occupy, will have some sort of Key Performance Indicators in place (KPIs) or Key Success Indicators (KSIs), in order to help the organization define and measure progress toward goals. Once an organization has analyzed its mission, identified all its stakeholders, and defined its goals, it needs a way to measure progress toward those goals, and usually sets up KPIs in order to quantify those measurements.

What's the use of KPIs?

Key Performance Indicators are, as stated above, quantifiable measurements, agreed to beforehand, that reflect the critical success factors of an organization. They will differ depending on the organization and what it wants to focus on. They can (and should) change from time to time.

KPIs are not just used in macro terms or for capitalistic ends. Examples where KPIs are used can include:

A business may have as one of its Key Performance Indicators the percentage of its income that comes from return customers.
A school may focus its Key Performance Indicators on graduation rates of its students.
A Customer Service Department may have as one of its Key Performance Indicators, in line with overall company KPIs, percentage of customer calls answered in the first minute.
A Key Performance Indicator for a social service organization might be number of clients assisted during the year.

Whatever Key Performance Indicators are selected, they must; A) reflect the organization's goals; B) those goals must be keys to its success; and, C) they must be quantifiable (objectionably measurable).

Key Performance Indicators usually are long-term considerations. The definition of what they are and how they are measured do not change often. The goals for a particular Key Performance Indicator may change as the organization's goals change, or as it gets closer to achieving a goal.

KPIs Reflect The Organizational Goals

An organization that has as one of its goals "to be the most profitable company in our industry" will have Key Performance Indicators that measure profit and related fiscal measures. "Pre-tax Profit" and "Shareholder Equity" will be among them. However, "Percent of Profit Contributed to Community Causes" probably will not be one of its Key Performance Indicators.

On the other hand, a school is not concerned with making a profit, so its Key Performance Indicators will be different. KPIs like "Graduation Rate" and "Success In Finding Employment After Graduation", though different, accurately reflect the schools mission and goals.

KPIs Must Be Quantifiable

If a Key Performance Indicator is going to be of any value, there must be a way to accurately define and measure it. "Generate More Repeat Customers" is useless as a KPI without some way to distinguish between new and repeat customers. "Be The Most Popular Company" won't work as a KPI because there is no way to measure the company's popularity or compare it to others.

It is also important to define the Key Performance Indicators and stay with the same definition from year to year. For a KPI of "Increase Sales", you need to address considerations like whether to measure by units sold or by dollar value of sales. Will returns be deducted from sales in the month of the sale or the month of the return? Will sales be recorded for the KPI at list price or at the actual sales price?

You also need to set targets for each Key Performance Indicator. A company goal to be the employer of choice might include a KPI of "Turnover Rate". After the Key Performance Indicator has been defined as "the number of voluntary resignations and terminations for performance, divided by the total number of employees at the beginning of the period" and a way to measure it has been set up by collecting the information in an HR information system, the target has to be established. "Reduce turnover by five percent per year" is a clear target that everyone will understand and be able to take specific action to accomplish.

KPIs Must be Keys To The Organization's Success

Many things are measurable. That does not make them key to the organization's success. In selecting Key Performance Indicators, it is critical to limit them to those factors that are essential to the organization reaching its goals. It is also important to keep the number of Key Performance Indicators small just to keep every one's attention focused on achieving the same KPIs.

That is not to say, for instance, that a company will have only three or four total KPIs in total. Rather there will be three or four Key Performance Indicators for the company and all the units within it will have three, four, or five KPIs that support the overall company goals and can be "rolled up" into them.

If a company Key Performance Indicator is "Increased Customer Satisfaction", that KPI will be focused differently in different departments. The Manufacturing Department may have a KPI of "Number of Units Rejected by Quality Inspection", while the Sales Department has a KPI of "Minutes A Customer Is On Hold Before A Sales Rep Answers". Success by the Sales and Manufacturing Departments in meeting their respective departmental Key Performance Indicators will help the company meet its overall KPI.

Good vs. Bad

Early in my career, I was tasked with drawing up a Sales KPI for my region. Being young(er) and not all that experienced (my leadership experience at the time came from a slightly different background where KPIs were non-existent), I came up with the following result:

Title of KPI: Increase Sales
Defined As: Change in Sales volume from month to month

Measured By: Total of Sales By Region for all units
Target: Increase each month

My Manager sent me the following email in response to my submission:

"Thanks. A few questions: Does this measure increases in sales volume by dollars or specific items? If by dollars, does it measure all sales (including rebated items and specials) or not? Are promos considered and if so do the appear as an adjustment to the KPI for the month of the sale or are they counted separately? (maybe another KPI?) How much, by percentage or dollars or items, do we want to increase sales volumes each month?"

As you can see, my original submission lacked the details that would have satisfied the above mentioned criteria. Now contrast this with a KPI that I drew up a few years later:

Title of KPI: Employee Turnover
Defined As: The total of the number of employees who resign for whatever reason, plus the number of employees terminated for performance reasons, and that total divided by the number of employees at the beginning of the year. Employees lost due to Reductions in Force (RIF) will not be included in this calculation.
Measured By: The HR Information System contains records of each employee. The separation section lists reason and date of separation for each employee. Monthly, or when requested by the SVP, the HR group will query the database and provide Department Heads with Turnover Reports.
Target: Reduce Employee Turnover by 5% per year.

The vagueness and lack of details of the first rookie one I attempted is obvious when it is compared with the above example.

Managing the Issue

Once you have good Key Performance Indicators defined, ones that reflect your organization's goals, one that you can measure, what do you do with them?

You use Key Performance Indicators as a performance management tool. KPIs give everyone in the organization a clear picture of what is important, of what they need to make happen. You use that to manage performance. You make sure that everything the people in your organization do is focused on meeting or exceeding those Key Performance Indicators.

You should also use the KPIs as a carrot.

Post the KPIs everywhere: in the lunch room, on the walls of every conference room, on the company intranet, at the bottom of your emails, even on the company web site for some of them. Show what the target for each KPI is and show the progress toward that target for each of them. People will be motivated to reach those KPI targets.

If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com
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Why Layoffs Don't Work

2011-12-05T10:47:00.168-05:00

"I did one mass corporate layoff in fiscal year 98-99 and it really harmed the corporate culture" ~ Robert Murray

"I know there's been a lot of noise lately about the merging of the brands; about who is now going to stay and who is not. And I'm here right now to tell you all to put that behind you. No one here is going to lose their jobs because of this. So you can all go ahead and call your wives and husbands and tell them not to worry."

~ Divisional President's actual speech given minutes before approving a layoff list comprised of those very same employees he was addressing.

"Why are CEO's who slash jobs so proud of themselves? Instead of bragging about "cutting fat," they ought to be getting up before their employees and saying, "We did such a lousy job of planning and hiring that we have more people than work. And we are so lazy and so dim-witted that we can't come up with any other ways to get more work. So our only solution is to send a lot of good people home. I am ashamed and I am sorry." ~ Dale Dauten

Companies have called it "downsizing" or "rightsizing." My own informal "Name the Layoff" contest once produced some other euphemisms: Retroactive Hiring Freeze, Resume Revision Days, Amway Opportunity Time, and Corporation Lite.

Layoffs are done to save money. Unfortunately, they are usually a short term fix, detrimental to the company. So why do so many companies persist in using layoffs as a first choice for cutting costs, and what are some of the alternatives?

We missed our numbers

Sometimes things don't work out as forecast. Clients delay purchases. Suppliers raise prices. Competitors steal market share. Quarterly, at least in the West, companies have to face the forecasts they made. Public companies have to face the Stock Market too, and investors don't like surprises. They don't value executives who miss their numbers either. And they expect quick and strong action to addresses the issues.

Unfortunately, the very pressure to take action quickly ultimately works against their own best interest.

Pressing for immediate action forces executives to cut costs, as opposed to raising income. Foolishly therefore, reducing the workforce has become an automatic response for companies who need to cut costs to look good for the Market. It's wrong. It's counter-productive. It should be a last resort, not a first choice for a skilled executive. Let's look at the two most often cited reasons for layoffs:

Job cuts save money

In "Organizational downsizing: Constraining, Cloning, Learning" (McKinley, William, Schick, Allen G., Sanchez), the authors point out that while downsizing has been viewed primarily as a cost reduction strategy, there is considerable evidence that downsizing does not reduce expenses as much as desired, and that sometimes expenses may actually increase. In other words, if one analyzes the data available since the 1980s, it would point out that the costs of layoffs generally outweigh the payroll savings to be gained from them.

Job cuts will not affect performance

John Dorfman, a Boston-based money manager, analyzed the post-layoff performance of a sampling of companies. The review included 11 to 34 months of data for the companies sampled. His article Job Cuts Often Fail to Bolster Stocks reports an average performance gain by the companies that had announced job cuts at 0.4% while the performance for the S&P 500 during the comparable time period was a gain was 29.3%.

One might infer from this that cutting back on your already trained and producing labor force actually harms your productivity; both directly (once the skilled worker is let go) and indirectly (from having to recruit, train, develop and filter out a pool of new workers)

Protecting your investments

Many companies fail to realize that they have a tremendous long-term capital investment in their employees.

While wages and benefits clearly are an expense item on the budget, they should be thought of more as payments on the capital of employees skill and dedication. The same care, thought, and rigorous analysis should be given to decisions on the capital invested in employees as would be to a factory or a production line. A factory can be reopened, or a production line restarted, much more easily than employees trust in their management or faith in the company's vision can be restored after a layoff.

Layoff announcements speak of jobs eliminated or percentage reduction of the workforce, but behind those pretty words are are the company's people. Whether the company is able to continue to compete effectively, is able to fulfil the promise the layoffs make to the investors, will continue to generate the innovation required to survive in the marketplace depends on those people. It depends on those who are left after the layoffs, those of them that choose to remain after the layoffs are completed. It depends on how they feel about how others were treated and how they themselves might be treated in the next round of layoffs, which may come.

A company may lay off employees it considers the low end producers, but in doing so it creates a climate of personnel uncertainty. That uncertainty causes others to leave. The first people to leave due to uncertainty in the company are the best people, because they can always get another job somewhere else. The climate of uncertainty that follows a layoff, therefore, always guarantees a reduction in the quality of the staff, not just the quantity.

Companies contemplating layoffs need to consider more than just the hoped for cost savings from a layoff. They need to consider, and plan for, the less obvious effects. They need to consider the reduced morale and the reduced performance and innovation it will bring. They need to consider the reduced quality of the company's overall workforce that will result.

Restructuring does work

There are alternatives to across the board layoffs that do work to reduce costs. One of the most effective and most immediate of these is restructuring.

Often, when job cuts are undertaken in order to pacify the investors, the announcements talk about the cuts as part of a "streamlining" or "restructuring", but they refer only to the people involved. There are other aspects of the company's business that need to be restructured as well. These often include things such as closing of obsolete plants or branches, administrative overhauls, selling of non-core operations, or improving internal processes.

Dorfman believes that when a stock shows a gain over the year or two following cuts, it is often the non-layoff elements in the restructuring package that deserve the credit.

Arguably, these kinds of things take longer to effect the bottom line than cutting out the salaries of the laid off employees. However, when one considers the costs of severance payments to those employees, continued health care payments for some (if applicable), reduced productivity following the layoffs, etc., that may not be valid.

Typically companies will take a "one-time charge" against earnings to cover the layoff, which clears these costs from the books quickly. In reality the change won't make any difference until at least the next quarterly report. In that same period, other, slower changes could have been implemented and have shown similar cost reductions. The difference then is mainly cosmetic. Making the numbers look good quickly (layoffs) so the Market is happy versus slower method of restructuring the business that preserve the company's significant investment in its employee capital.

Managing the Issue

It's our job to find and fix the problem. Don't just cut jobs to look good to the investors. Make the changes that will make the company better instead of damaging the very thing that made the company successful in the first place, its employees.

Restructure the business to make it better. If a function is not contributing to the company's success get rid of it, but cut from the head down, not from the bottom up. Make sure remaining employees clearly understand the selection process that was used to cut under-performing units or functions no longer sufficiently valuable to the company.
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If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com

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When to Coach and Mentor Your Employees

2011-11-28T22:33:00.006-05:00

"Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction." ~ John Crosby

"The ultimate leader is not afraid to develop people to the point they surpass him or her in knowledge and ability.” ~ Fred A. Manske, Jr.

"Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing.” ~ Albert Schweitzer

“One day with a great teacher is better than a thousand days of diligent study" ~ Japanese Proverb

I have read a lot about why Managers should coach employees. A lot has also been written on how to coach employees. You can find many articles on the Pygmalion Effect, which explain how employee coaching works. But I have only seen very few articles, however, that help you to know when to coach employees.

That's what I will attempt to do here.

By and large in our careers, I would suspect, any successes we have enjoyed have had, at their base, the founding action that someone once in our past believed in us. And if any of us have done things we didn't think at the time that we could do, it was because someone else thought we could.

We who have experienced this have seen first hand the following truth in action: A good leader will make the members of his team see what they can become, rather than what they presently are.

Before Coaching Employees

At the heart of employee coaching lies this fact: Most of the time, a manager should not coach their employees.

To understand that counter-intuitive statement, it helps to know what employee coaching is and what employee coaching is not.

Giving employees the knowledge and skills they need to perform their job tasks is not employee coaching; that is employee training.

On the other hand, employee coaching is an on-going process of helping employee identify and overcome the hurdles that prevent them from excelling at their jobs.

Note that employee coaching involves helping employees identify solutions to their performance barriers: You are not coaching your employees when you tell them what to do.

When Not To Coach Employees

Before you can effectively coach employees you must know that they are properly trained and that they know what is expected of them. The following instances are NOT the time to coach employees:

Their training is not complete

When an employee has not been completely trained, it is a waste of your time (and theirs) to try and coach them in those aspects of their job. If they have been properly trained for their job, you can coach them in that part, but not in the areas where they have not yet been trained. Make sure the training is done first; then do the coaching.

They don't know the expectations

It serves no purpose to coach employees who don't know what is expected of them and how their results are measured. Remember that employee coaching is supposed to be designed to help them overcome performance barriers. Too often, I have seen talented employees moved off of positions where, if led properly, would have excelled to the benefit of both themselves and their superiors, if only they knew where they were expected to be. If you don't point them in the right direction, they won't know how to get there. Set clear objectives for your employees; then do the coaching.

Don't rush it

Coaching and development take time. When you're in a hurry, you will not do a good job. You will not take the time to help your employees identify solutions; rather, you will be more likely to just tell them what to do. Like everything worth doing, you have to make the time to do it right. Then do the employee coaching.

Stay calm

When you're upset, you won't exhibit the enthusiasm and friendliness you need to be effective as an employee coach. You may not be fair or equitable. You may even give subtle signals to the employee that could undermine the coaching you have been doing up to this point. Get your emotions in check, and not for insincerity's sake. Then do the employee coaching.

When To Coach Employees

We need to let people to make their own mistakes so they can learn from them. We can train them and advise them, which will help some of the time, (which then, by definition, means that there will times that their training and your advise will be of no help), but actual experience is often the best teacher.

A good manager, therefore, will hang back and resist the impulse to jump in every time an employee encounters difficulty. A good manager will always monitor what their employees are doing, but will not intervene to coach their employees except in the following circumstances.

Their behavior is dangerous
When an employee is doing something that could cause harm to themselves or to others, you have to step in. This is one instance where you can't let someone learn from their mistakes. You need to provide immediate coaching. Rather than tell them the solution, however, you can still suggest a couple of alternatives and let the employee figure out which is best. Make sure they understand why the behaviour they were planning was dangerous though;

Their actions are illegal or unethical
You can't allow employees to do things that are illegal and you shouldn't allow them to do anything unethical. Whether the behaviour is illegal or unethical because of intent, design, or ignorance, you can't allow it. As with dangerous behaviour, provide alternatives, let them decide, and explain why the planned behaviour was a poor choice.

They are hurting the team
You need your employees to work together as a team. If one member of the team is doing something that will cause the others to exclude him/her from the team, you have to step in. If an employee always takes credit for the work of their team, you need to coach them. If an employee in a close area (re: cubicles) always yells into the phone and disturbs those around him, you have to step in and help him/her find a different behaviour.

They are repeating their failures
When employees have repeatedly tried to solve a problem, and their solution isn't going to work, you need to step in. Often we try something and it fails or succeeds. If it fails, we try it again to make sure we did it the way we meant to. If it still fails, most people move on to something different. If the employee keeps trying, however, they aren't learning. Start coaching them.

The financial costs are too great
Almost any mistake is going to cost the company money, either directly or in lost profits. You can't step in every time an employee might make a mistake just to save money. Consider it an investment in the employee's learning and development. However, if their planned actions would have a significant negative effect on the company financially, you have to step in. You have a responsibility to the company to protect its fiscal assets that is as great as the responsibility to develop its human assets. Provide the employee with alternative behaviours; let them figure out the appropriate choices, and explain why you had to step in.

Managing this issue

Knowing when to let an employee make a mistake they can learn from and when you need to step in and coach them is the balancing act. You have to balance their opportunity to learn and grow against the harm they could do to themselves, their team, and the company. The more confident you are in your own abilities, the more you will be able to let your employees make their own choices. Remember, you role in coaching employees is to help them find the right behavior, not just tell them what to do.

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If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com
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Rising To Incompetence, Part III: Flattenning The Corporate Hierachy

2011-11-16T21:33:00.001-05:00

"The only risk in failure is a promotion"

~Scott Adams

"Be careful in dealing with a man who cares nothing for comfort or promotion, but is simply determined to do what he believes to be right. He is a dangerous, uncompromising enemy of the sycophantic corporation, because his body, which you have bought, gives you little purchase upon his soul".

~ Gilbert Murray

"Plenty of men can do good work for a spurt when immediate promotion is in mind, but promotions should go to the man in whom good work has become a habit."

~Henry Doherty

In part I we discussed the repercussions of promoting an employee beyond his skill level and a few possible solutions to rectifying it. In part II, we showed a few ways on how to do it.

In this final part, I will try and address ways in which the structure of the company may be contributing to the relentless upward pressure to advance, and ways to change that corporate culture from one of trying to advance to one where the satisfaction of a job well done is just as rewarding as the corner office.

Employees, as has been pointed out by now, are often promoted to their level of incompetence. Often, those employees who are conscientious enough to realize that they have bitten off more than they can chew would like to step back to a position where they were successful but can't. Their ego may get in the way, the position may have already been given to someone else, or the company may not know how to handle such a request.

Smart companies recognize the damage done to their organization by leaving people in a position at which they are incompetent. They use Performance Management to move them sideways, if possible, or back down. If Performance Management doesn't work for you, or if you want out-of-the-box thinking, consider self-directed teams as an alternative.

Self-directed teams

Self-directed, or self-managed, teams are not new. Their utility in business situations is well documented.

One aspect of the value of such teams that is often overlooked, however, is their ability to effectively manage the competency levels of the team members.

Self-directed teams are frequently created within traditional business organizations either to address cross-functional issues or to promote employee empowerment. They also are found in non-profit companies and in non-business organizations, such as social clubs. One of the more recent appearances of self-directed teams is in "virtual" corporations.

"Virtual" corporations

"Virtual" corporations are formed when several individuals, or small companies, band together to pursue a business opportunity. Usually it is an opportunity for which that the individual or small company could not successfully compete on their own. This can be due to lack of specialized expertise or simply lack of size. By teaming with others, they can overcome their handicap.

These virtual corporations are a prime example of how self-directed teams manage incompetence. The teamings are usually short-term, like the business opportunities they pursue, but are often repeated frequently.

A group of 10 individuals may have a long term understanding, which allows them all to work together smoothly. On any given team, a smaller number of group members may participate based on the opportunity.

Which members participate changes frequently, depending on the needs of the group.

In cases like this, an individual or small company simply will not be included in those opportunities for which they are not qualified. The group self-selects the best members for the opportunity. Incompetents just are not selected.

If the team continues to select an incompetent, perhaps because he is the only one in the group with a specific area of knowledge, the group will not be able to compete as effectively. In time, they will either cease to exist or they will replace the incompetent with another individual with the level of expertise needed. Self-directed teams can function in this same manner within a company.

Flexibility required

There are many requirements for a self-directed team to be successful. In terms of managing the competence levels of their members, however, the key requirement is flexibility.

The team has to be given authority to add or remove team members. This does not have to be total authority. The company can, and should, place guidelines around the process. However, the team must be given sufficient latitude to adjust the composition of the team that they can achieve their objective.

If they have this latitude, and if they are committed to achieving their objective, they will either exclude incompetent members or they will move them to a position where they can contribute.

Flatten the pyramid

Self-directed teams are one way to flatten the pyramid. Others should be explored. The more we can remove the hierarchy from the organization structure, the less pressure there is on an individual to continue to seek promotion to "higher" levels, even to levels for which they doubt they are qualified.

We should also provide an opportunity for individuals to move laterally in their search for challenging, fulfilling work rather than always having to move "up". Finally, there is less resistance on the part of the individual to moving back down, and there are a greater number of options for the company that needs to move someone to a different position.

Manage This Issue

The flatter the pyramid, the greater the flexibility you have to manage. Don't create organizational levels that are not required. Take full advantage of self-directed and matrix teams in your efforts to flatten the pyramid. Not only will you get a more responsive organization, you will be able to limit the number of individuals who rise to their level of incompetence, only to get stuck there.

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If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com

Rising To Incompetence, Part II: The Performance Management Alternative

2011-11-02T13:33:00.012-04:00

"Incompetence - When you earnestly believe you can compensate for a lack of skill by doubling your efforts, there's no end to what you can't do"

~ Larry Kersten

"The real work is accomplished by employees who have not yet reached their level of incompetence"

~ Laurence Peters

"Let's face it, in today's corporate environment, it's the bureaucratic nuts running the corporate nuthouse; if you show ineptitude and incompetence, your odds of landing a job or promotion improve exponentially"

~ Quentin Braun

In the previous article, we looked at the damage done to businesses that promote people to their level of incompetence and leave them there. I suggested demotions as the best approach to solve this problem, for both the employee and the company, and renamed them "Inverse Promotions". However, we must also recognize that many people have an ego problem with demotions and it is not an idea that will catch on any time soon.

Something Must Be Done

The fact remains, however, that something has to be done. The cost to the business is too high. Leaving an incompetent manager in place costs the company in errors, lost productivity, high turnover, and low morale.

There also is harm done to the self-confidence and self-esteem of the individual who has reached their level of incompetence and doesn't know how to go back.

If employees can't request a return to their former position, or if they won't accept an inverse promotion, the company still must take action. The company has to protect itself, its other employees and even the career of the individual who has been over-promoted. The question is, how can this be done in a manner that effective and efficient for the company and that protects the ego of an otherwise valuable employee who got in over their head?

Performance Management

Performance management is one way to limit the damage and expense of an individual promoted beyond their level of competence. There should be a clear goal of determining whether or not a plan can be developed to adequately coach an individual to an acceptable performance level in a fairly short period of time.

The plan should be developed, written down, and agreed to by the individual and his or her supervisor who should both sign it. The plan needs specific, measurable milestones and specific time frames. Make sure the goals you set in the plan are S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely (or Time sensitive.)

Annual Performance Reviews are a waste of time in this instance. They are too formal and too infrequent. While the ultimate assessment of whether or not the individual met the plan laid out above must be formal, the steps to get there should not be.

Remember, this plan isn't for the few who were smart enough to decline an inappropriate promotion. This is for those who should have declined the promotion and didn't, either because they didn't realize it was beyond their capabilities or because they wanted the position for another reason, the prestige, for example. For that reason, the goals and metrics in the plan have to be unequivocal.

Manage This Issue

You can't leave an incompetent manager in place. It costs too much in money, morale, productivity, and innovation. If the employee won't request a return to a level at which they were competent, the company must take action.

-     Assess how quickly, if at all, the individual can be coached to an appropriate performance level.
-     Set unambiguous milestones and time frames and have everyone agree to them in writing.
-     If the goals are met, you have successfully managed the development of an employee and made them and yourself more valuable to the company.
-     If the goals are not met, everyone will agree that a step backward is in every one's best interest and the employee is more likely to be able to accept the "demotion"

Next in Part III, we'll look at what changes that company can instigate in order to try and avoid repeating these mistakes.

If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com.
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Rising To Incompetence, Part I: Promote or Demote?

2011-10-25T13:06:00.005-04:00

"Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence."
~ Napoleon

"I am, as I've said, merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary."
~ Billy Joel

"In a hierachy, every employee rises to their level of incompetence"

~ Laurence J. Peters

Canadian business author Laurence Peters proposed in his 1969 book "The Peter Principle : Why Things Always Go Wrong" that employees in hierarchical organizations are promoted to their level of incompetence.

There is such pressure in business to move "upward" that employees continue to win promotions until they reach a level where they simply cannot do the work required of that position.

These employees end up desperately unhappy, struggling to survive and at the same time costing the company money in lost productivity, lowered morale, and less innovation.

Alternatives to Upward
Many people are beginning to question the relentless pressure to move "upward". They want more out of a job than just a paycheck. They are looking for personal satisfaction. This desire for self-fulfillment may provide a means of reducing the tremendous cost to businesses of the Peter Principle, of promoting managers beyond the level where they can succeed.

There are only two alternatives to upward. They are downward and sideways.

Lateral transfers are becoming more common, and more acceptable. Employees are allowed, and in some cases encouraged, to move from one department or division to a related position in another. This can be a good move for the employee who gains a broader base of knowledge and becomes more valuable. They also have an opportunity to explore new areas of the company in search of work that they would enjoy more and, consequently, be better at.

Lateral transfers are also good for the company. They are one way to retain valued employees. They bring fresh, innovative, and potentially cost-saving ideas into a division, without the full cost associated with a new hire from outside. They also help to more widely disperse the institutional knowledge base.

The concept of downward movement, demotion, is less well accepted and less often used. That is unfortunate, because it holds the promise of even greater benefit for both the company and its employees.

Demotion By Any Other Name
The word "demotion" has a very negative connotation in any hierarchical organization. The unrelenting pressure to move upward forces people into positions that they don't want and can't handle. A few employees are smart enough to see that they don't want the position they are being offered a promotion into, but most end up accepting the promotion and then finding they don't enjoy it or can't handle it.

For the few who were smart enough to decline an inappropriate promotion, there are constant questions from co-workers: "why didn't you get the promotion?", "why didn't you want the promotion?" and "look what happened when you didn't accept that promotion and they gave it to so-and-so instead." There also are often repeated attempts to promote the person, despite their declining the previous offer, as the person remains apparently qualified.

The real problem lies, however, with those who should have declined the promotion and didn't, either because they didn't realize it was beyond their capabilities or because they wanted the position for another reason, the prestige, for example.

Unhappy Employees Are Not Top Producers
Someone who has been very successful in their job probably enjoys the work. However, their success in the position makes them a candidate for promotion to a new, "higher" position, the duties of which they may not completely understand. Many times, when they accept the promotion, they struggle a little at first as they learn new things, but then they begin to master the new job. Soon they are ready to be promoted again.

Other times, when they accept the position they discover that they are not capable of doing what needs to be done in the new job. They get negative performance feedback for the first time in their career. Their supervisor offers them coaching or additional training. These help some, but ultimately are not enough. The employee begins doing some parts of the job, but not necessarily the most important ones. They make incorrect decisions, because they just don't know any better. They stifle the people in their group so that none of them can become a threat. They temporize and procrastinate because they lack confidence. They are unhappy in the job. The company is unhappy with their performance. Yet neither knows what to do to fix the situation.

Inverse Promotion
The solution is easy to see, but difficult to do. An individual who has been promoted beyond their level of competence is unhappy, is doing a poor job, is costing the company money, and is hindering the development of others. The employee needs to be returned to the level at which they were a great employee. Usually, that is the position, or at least the level, from which they were promoted.

Companies are reluctant to demote people because of the potential liability in doing so. Most managers, who would have to do the demotions, lack the skill and training to do it well. Certainly they lack the desire to do it.

The employee doesn't want to seek out the demotion, for a variety of reasons. And if the employee is demoted, their ego is bruised and they probably will quit and walk out.

The fact remains that moving the employee downward is the appropriate thing to do. The company gains through increased production and innovation. The employee gains from an increased job satisfaction. So the management challenge is to make the change is such a way that they employee can accept the change.

Employee Resistance Points
Typical employees will resist the inverse promotion for two reasons, ego and money. The successful manager will help them deal with both issues.

The ego issues can be addressed by discussing with the employee the success he or she had in the previous position and how much they enjoyed it. The manager should stress how valuable the employee was in that position and how valuable the company expects they will be again. The employee should be transferred to a different unit, not just back into the one from which they came, whenever this is possible. They should be given time to think about the change, not just have it sprung on them as it is about to happen. This will allow them to consider the potential value in the new position and to develop coping strategies.

The money issues should be a non-issue.

Usually there is enough overlap between the pay scales of the two positions that the employee returned to the lower position would still be within the upper end of the pay scale for that position. However, even if they are outside the pay scale, they should be left at their current higher salary. This will also help somewhat with the ego issues.

Rather than cutting the employee's pay, leave them at that pay level until the pay scale for the lower level increases over time and reaches where they are. Be sure to tell them that that will happen. Inform them that their pay won't be cut, but that they won't get any raises until they are back in line with others in that function.

While this may seem like an extra cost for the company, consider the alternative. The employees resentment over a pay cut, coupled with the ego damage of the demotion, may cause the employee to resign. The cost of finding, hiring and training a replacement will seriously exceed the cost of leaving them at their present salary.

It Won't Work For Everyone
The larger a company is, the more likely it will be able to find a suitable position into which to move someone being inversely promoted. They will have more divisions and a larger number of positions at the level to which the individual is being moved. A large multi-national conglomerate is more likely to be able to find a suitable supervisor position for a former manager than is an eight person manufacturing company.

In addition, people are not equally likely to accept the change. Some will have more emotional and ego issues than others and be unable to accept the change, even if it is handled considerately and with no change in pay.

Some companies will have union agreements or employment contracts that will prohibit or restrict these kinds of changes.

It Is The Smart Thing to Do
Smart companies, and smart employees, will take advantage of the potential benefits of an inverse promotion rather than a termination or a resignation. It saves the company money. It increases the productivity of the entire workforce. It removes barriers to promotion for qualified individuals. And it removes incompetence from the structure. Smart people will recognize the cost savings of not having to look for another job. They will seize the new opportunities to learn. They will enjoy their work again.

Manage This Issue
You have to find and remove those things that hamper your business as it competes. Incompetence is a major handicap. When found, it needs to be removed. However, like all these things, it needs to be done in the most cost-effective manner. In this case the most cost-effective first step is to plan and then offer an inverse promotion.

For those who don't believe our society will ever accept the concept of demotions by another name, or who are unwilling to wait for this kind of business practice to become more widely accepted, there are other alternatives. Next we will look at performance management approaches. The article after next, we will look at how to shift the entire hierarchical paradigm.
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Part II continues here.
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If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com.
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Can I Be A Good Manager?

2011-10-03T08:53:00.034-04:00

"I sit here all day trying to persuade people to do the things they ought to have enough common sense to do without me having to persuade them"

~Harry S. Truman

A man in a hot air balloon realized he was lost. He reduced altitude and spotted a woman below. He descended a bit more and shouted, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The woman below replied, "You're in a hot air balloon hovering approximately 30 feet above the ground. You're between 40 and 41 degrees north latitude and between 59 and 60 degrees west longitude."
"You must be an engineer," said the balloonist.
"I am," replied the woman, "How did you know?"
"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is, technically correct, but I've no idea what to make of your information, and the fact is I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help at all. If anything, you've delayed my trip."
The woman below then responded, "You must be in Senior Management."
"I am," replied the balloonist, "but how did you know?"
"Well," said the woman, "you don't know where you are or where you're going. You have risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise, which you've no idea how to keep, and you expect people beneath you to solve your problems. The fact is you are in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but now, somehow, it's my fault."

~ As related by Yatin Buch, MBA

Recently, I was asked by an ex direct report whether or not they are suited for a position in a more senior management role. What do they need to know? What skills do they need to have? Where can they improve?

Let's start with a David Letterman-like top ten list.

Top 10 Clues That You Are Management Material

10. You like not doing anything
9. You understand that emails are sent not to inform others, but to protect the writer.
8. Work fascinates you - you can sit and watch it for hours
7. You like sweating the small stuff
6. You have always enjoyed low hanging fruit
5. You know you should communicate better, but you don't want to discuss that with the employees
4. You didn't know factual data can actually be real
3. You experience "Reverse Amnesia For Managers", which is when you take credit for the iniatives you tried to stop and refuse blame for the initiatives you forced through.
2. Doing things right is no excuse for not meeting the schedule.

And the number one clue you are management material -

1. Teamwork to you is alot of people doing what you say

All joking aside, here are some really basic key skills and abilities that help anyone be a better manager.

Need For Good Managers Increasing

The need for good managers is not going away. It is intensifying. With flatter organizations and self-directed teams becoming common; with personal computers and networks making information available to more people more quickly; the raw number of managers needed is decreasing.

However, the need for good managers, people who can manage themselves and others in a high stress environment, is increasing.

I believe anyone can be a good manager. It is as much trainable skill as it is inherent ability; as much science as art. Here are some things that make you a better manager:

As a person:

You have confidence in yourself and your abilities. You are happy with who you are, but you are still learning and getting better.
You are something of an extrovert. You don’t have to be the life of the party, but you can’t be a wallflower. Management is a people skill - it’s not the job for someone who doesn’t enjoy people.
You are honest and straight forward. Your success depends heavily on the trust of others.
You are an includer not an excluder. You bring others into what you do. You don’t exclude other because they lack certain attributes.
You have a presence. Managers must lead. Effective leaders have a quality about them that makes people notice when they enter a room.

On the job:

You are consistent, but not rigid; dependable, but can change your mind. You make decisions, but easily accept input from others.
You are a little bit crazy. You think out-of-the box. You try new things and if they fail, you admit the mistake, but don’t apologize for having tried.
You are not afraid to “do the math”. You make plans and schedules and work toward them.
You are nimble and can change plans quickly, but you are not flighty.
You see information as a tool to be used, not as power to be hoarded.

Take a look at yourself against this list. Find the places where you can improve and then get going. And , if you need help, remember that's what this site is all about - Helping new managers get started and experienced managers get better.

If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com.
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Dealing With Difficult Employees Part II: Types And How To Deal With Them

2011-09-26T21:19:00.006-04:00

"You must look into other people as well as at them."

~ Lord Chesterfield

"We are far more liable to catch the vices than the virtues of our associates"
~ Denis Diderot

“The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four people are suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of three of your associates . If they’re okay, then it’s you.”

~ Rita Mae Brown

"I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better'

~ Abraham Lincoln

In this second part, I will try and list the 6 most common "difficult" personality traits I have encountered in both my professional and private life, and what strategies and tactics I have found are effective in either dealing with them or in getting them to positively contribute, for I believe that everyone, no matter how "difficult" they can be, has something to offer.

1. The Aggressor

Say or do nothing that would incite more anger or, on the other hand, cause you to appear to be scared, weak, and a “pushover.”

In most cases, strong retaliation against an aggressive person is the worst thing you can do. Nastiness begets nastiness. Hostility escalates. Threats of punishment may also work. Remember punishment is only effective while the punished is observing — watch out for subtle rebellion.

reduce the noise level
keep calm yourself
acknowledge that the irate person has been wronged (if true) or, at least, acknowledge their feelings without any judgment
ask them to explain their situation (so you can tactfully correct errors)
listen to their complaints without counter-attacking
explain your feelings with non-blaming “I” statements
show that you care but set limits on their aggressiveness (“I’d like to work it out with you but I’ll have to call security if you can’t control yourself”).

2. The Chronic Complainer

don’t agree with the complaints,
don’t apologize (not immediately),
don’t become overly defensive or counter-attack because this only causes them to restate their complaints more heatedly.

3. The Super-Agreeable

4. The Know-It-All Expert

5. The Pessimist

6. The Staller

Every group has a “staller,” a person who puts off decisions for fear their career or job will be put in jeopardy if their decision isn't "the right one".

Unlike the super-agreeable, I have found that the staller is truly interested in being helpful. So, make it easier for him/her to discuss and make decisions. Try to find out what the staller’s real concerns are (he/she won’t easily reveal negative opinions of you, however).

Don’t make demands for quick action. Instead, help the staller examine the facts and make compromises or develop alternative plans (and decide which ones take priority). Give the staller reassurance about his/her decision and support the effective carrying out of the decision.

It is our job as managers to manage the varying personality types occurring in our teams in order to effectively maximize their performance while developing them further along into something greater. In order to do that, it is not enough to simply give instructions, monitor their actions, and dole out compliments or corrective measures; we must learn that managing any group is more like conducting a symphony orchestra, with our people representing the instruments: every instrument sounds different, is heard at different parts during the performance, and is necessary to the overall performance.

Only when we recognize the uniqueness of every personality and accept the positive part everyone can have to play can we hope to overcome some of the more challenging aspects of our personalities.

Together.

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If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com.
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Dealing with Difficult Employees, Part I

2011-09-14T10:20:00.138-04:00

"When dealing with people, remember, you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion"

~ Dale Carnegie

"A simple rule in dealing with those who are hard to get along with is to remember that this person is striving to assert his superiority; and you must deal with him from that point of view"

~Alfred Adler

"Business, more than any other occupation, is a continual dealing with the future behaviour of people; it is a continual calculation, an instictive exercise in foresight."

~Henry R. Luce

"If you want to learn how to deal with difficult people, have a few kids"

~ Overheard in a Chicago bar

All managers will have to deal with difficult employees during their careers. It is a chore all managers endure, all managers despise, and few, if any, ever learn to do effectively. I will offer some clarification on the most common "difficult" character traits present in any group, and tips on how to effectively deal with them, in Part II.

First, there will always be difficult employees. Infact, I have observed that what we often deem to be "difficult" or "odd" behaviour in a person is really present in order to help this person maintain their psychological balance. "Difficult" people in this context are the people we don’t know how to deal with us or those who are difficult for us to deal with due to (perceived or otherwise) them being stubborn, arrogant, oversensitive, or any trait that needs a special type of treatment Second, it's your job as the manager to deal with them. If you don't deal the problem, it will only get worse and impact the lives of those around you (and the subject employee) who would be looking to you for leadership.

Why Are Difficult Employees Like That?

Difficult employees are that way simply because it is a behavior that has worked for them in the past. They may not know any other behavior, or, they may choose this behavior when they think it will be most effective. You will be successful in dealing with difficult employees only to the extent that you can make these undesirable behaviors no longer effective for them.

In many ways, it's like dealing with children. If every times a child screams, its parents give it candy, what will the child do the next time it wants candy?

The same is true for the employee who "blows up" whenever anyone disagrees with him. When he does that, people stop disagreeing with him and he thinks he has won.

How Can A Manager Deal With Difficult Employees

Evaluate

It is important when dealing with difficult employees to act quickly. Often you will need to act almost immediately to neutralize a dangerous situation. However, it is always appropriate to think before you act.

Clearly if an employee comes to work with a gun, you will need to act more quickly than when someone complains that another employee is always taking credit for her work. In either case, take the appropriate amount of time to evaluate the situation before you act. You don't want to make it worse.

Recognize that most employees can be "difficult" from time to time. This can be caused by stress on the job or away from it. Some employees are difficult more often than others. It is not always your least-productive employees who are difficult. So take a moment to evaluate each situation for the unique situation it is.

Do your homework

Always act on facts. Don't base your actions on gossip or rumor, or even your own preconceptions and/or opinions. You can't allow yourself to be anything but impartial. The person(s) spreading the gossip is a difficult employee in their own way and must be dealt with when the immediate need has passed.

If you have not seen the inappropriate behavior yourself, look into it. Ask the people reportedly involved. Collect all the facts you can before you act. Don't use the fact that you haven't seen the inappropriate behavior as an excuse to delay doing something. It is important to act promptly.

Make sure you aren't part of the problem. It will be much more difficult to remain calm and impartial in confronting the difficult behavior if you are partly responsible. If that's the case, be sure you acknowledge your role in it, at least to yourself.

Develop a plan

You're a manager. You know the value of planning. This situation is no different.

You need to plan the timing of the confrontation. You need to select a quiet, private place where you won't be interrupted. You need to decide whether you need to have others, like an HR representative, present in the meeting. Plan the confrontation and then make it happen.

When you have prepared, it is time to act. You do not need to act impulsively, but you must act quickly. The longer an inappropriate behavior is allowed to continue, the harder it will be to change it or stop it.

Confront the problem

Don't put it off. It may not be pleasant, but it's an important part of your job. It will not "fix itself". It can only get worse. You have planned this confrontation. Now you need to execute.

Deal with the behavior, not the person

Your goal is to develop a solution, not to "win". Focus on the inappropriate behavior; don't attack the person. Use "I" statements like "I need everybody on the team here on time so we can meet our goals" rather than "you" statements like "you are always late".

Don't assume the inappropriate behavior is caused by negative intent. It may be from fear, confusion, lack of motivation, personal problems, etc.

This is the important part; the part most managers never get right: Give the other person a chance to develop a solution to the problem. They are more likely to "own" the solution if they are at least partially responsible for developing it.

Try to draw out the reasons behind the behavior

As you talk with the difficult employee, actively listen to what they say. Stay calm and stay positive, but remain impartial and non-judgmental. Ask leading questions that can't be answered in one or two words.

Don't interrupt. When you do respond to the difficult employee, remain calm. Summarize back to them what they just said, "so what I understand you are saying is.....", so they know you are actually listening to them.
If you can find out from the difficult employee what the real source of the inappropriate behavior is, you have a much better chance of finding a solution.

Sometimes these confrontations will go smoothly, or at least rapidly, to a conclusion. Other times it will require several sessions to resolve the problem.

Repeat as necessary

Minor problems, like being late for work, you may be able to resolve with a simple chat in your office with the employee. An office bully, who has used that behavior successfully since elementary school, may need more than one confrontation before a solution can be reached. Be patient. Don't always expect instant results. Aim for continuous improvement rather than trying to achieve instant success.

Know when you are in over your head

Sometimes the underlying issue with a difficult employee will be beyond your capabilities. The employee may have psychological problems that require professional help, for example. Learn when to keep trying and when to refer the employee to others for more specialized help. Your company may have an EAP (employee assistance plan) or you may need to use resources from the community.

Know when you are at the end

While the goals is always to reach a mutually acceptable solution that resolves the difficult employees inappropriate behavior and keeps your team at full strength, sometimes that is not possible. When you reach an impasse and the employee is not willing to change his or her behavior then you need to begin terminations procedures in accordance with your company's policies.

Coming to a Solution

The desired result from confronting a difficult employee's inappropriate behavior is an agreed upon solution, and the inappropriate behavior will continue unless you and the employee agree upon said solution. You will get more buy in and greater results if the employee plays a role in crafting the strategy on how to get there.

Your employees will always needs to know what is inappropriate about their behavior just as much as they also need to know what is appropriate behavior. The need for a manager to communicate clearly is always high, but it is especially important in these situations. Make very sure the employee understands the requirements, what is expected of him, and, if necessary, the consequences.

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Part II continues here

If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com.
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From Manager to Leader

2011-09-06T16:46:00.003-04:00

"Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it"
~Dwight D. Eisenhower

"I think leadership comes from integrity - that you do and act as you would have other do and act. I think there are non-obvious ways to lead. Just by providing a good example makes it possible for other people to see better ways to do things. Leadership does not need to be a dramatic, fist in the air and trumpets blaring activity"

~ Scott Berkun

"There go my people.
I must follow them for I am their leader."
~Alexandre Ledru-Rollin

Ask anyone and they'll tell you. There's a difference between managers and leaders.

Ask them what that difference is and they may have a bit more difficulty. Suddenly the words become amorphous and undefined. Somehow leadership is either what you "do" i.e., you're put in charge of a group, a department, or a territory, and suddenly you are referred to as "a leader"; or, it's an intangible - a charismatic component that some people have and others simply don't. That's why, according to the ubiquitous "they", it is such a rarity.

Both instances are wrong.

The difference between being a manager and being a leader is simple. Management is a career. Leadership is a calling.

Or, in the business context, the Management title is bestowed upon you by your superiors whereas the Leadership mantle is given to you by your character and the loyalty of those who work for you. Your people must listen to their Manager; but they want to follow their leader.

You don't have to be tall, well-spoken and good looking to be a successful leader. You don't have to have that "special something" to fulfill the leadership role.

What you have to have is clearly defined convictions - and, more importantly, the courage of your convictions to see them manifest into reality. Only when you understand your role as guide and steward based on your own most deeply held truths can you move from manager to leader.

Whether the group you oversee is called employees, associates, co-workers, teammates or anything else, what they are looking for is someone in whom they can place their trust. Someone they know is working for the greater good - for them and for the organization. They're looking for someone not only that they can - but that they want to - follow.

Because it is only when you have followers -people who have placed their trust in you - that you know you have moved into that leadership role. And the way you see it is that your organization is transcending all previous quality, productivity, innovation and revenue achievements. You're operating at such a high level of efficiency that you're giving budget back to the corporation - and you're still beating your goals.

You're achieving what you always dreamed could be achieved. And not only that, but it's actually easier than you thought.

Because you're a leader. Because the classic command and control management model - which, contrary to popular belief still applies even in our most progressive 21st century companies - is no longer in play. Sure, controls are in place. Sure, you're solving problems that arise.

But it's not just you alone. You have the people in whom you've put your trust - and who have happily and safely reciprocated - to help you create organizational success.

Where to start? Begin by discovering exactly what your convictions are. Clarify and codify for yourself what you believe in. Then, take a nice step back and see how those beliefs are playing out in the organization as it stands today.

Don't start with an organizational assessment based on the numbers or your opinions about others. This is not about "them." This is all about you.

Ask yourself:

What is important to me? What are my values, beliefs, ethics?
How am I demonstrating those values, beliefs and ethics every day?
Is the larger organization designed to support my values, beliefs and ethics?
Where are the disconnects within my immediate organization and for myself with the larger enterprise?
What can I do to change how I behave with my immediate organization to demonstrate my belief in them?
What additional assistance do my employees need to succeed and how can I ensure that they get everything they need and more to create personal and organizational success?

Realistically, you'll go through this process not once, but many, many times. This is a periodic reality and cross-check to see how you're doing in your own context and, as you begin making changes, in the larger context.

Because, while you can and should expect yourself and your immediate organization to make changes, you cannot - and should not - expect the larger organization to immediately respond or follow suit. This is a personal journey designed to assist you in being more - and helping those whose lives you touch to be more. Give the organization time. It'll get there. It's just a little bit slow.

What's Next?

As you identify your convictions and begin aligning your behaviors with those convictions, you are going to need to take steps to build a collaborative culture based on where you're going.

To do that, seek input from your employees about what they need and what their dreams are for their jobs and the larger organization. (They have them, you know). Talk to internal and external customers and suppliers about their needs. Find out what more and what else you can be and do to create success.

Enroll and engage in conversation and communication. Sit back. Listen. Take in as much as you can. Look for trends and themes. Find out where the possibilities are - the connects and disconnects that you can effect.

Be more. Be all those things you always believed about yourself - and usually bring to the rest of your life.

Leaders aren't made or born. Leadership is a choice - a belief in and commitment to, everything that is good and noble within you.

If you have any suggestions or topics you'd like to see covered, or if you'd like help with an issue you're currently experiencing, please drop me a line at gbossinakis@live.com.
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Project Management For Dummies, Part II: Being an Extremist

2011-07-11T21:54:00.005-04:00

"If it takes one woman nine months to have a baby, it does not follow that it can also be done in one month by impregnating nine women."

~ Dr. J. Ornstein on the fallacies sometimes committed in strategy planning.

"I know that you believe that you understand what you think George said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what he meant."
~ My colleague's email to our Training Manager concerning my instructions during a new store opening

"A little risk management saves a lot of fan cleaning"

~ Anonymous

"Fast, cheap or good. Pick any two"~ Advise to a franchisee while overseeing the construction of his new unit.

Project Management for Dummies, Part I

2011-07-06T00:53:00.005-04:00

~L.R. Sayles

"Plans A through Q have this deal going through"

~Michael Sabia, CEO of BCE., when questioned if there was a plan B should his proposal not go through. It didn't and there wasn't.

"Plans are nothing; planning is everything"
~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

Here's How:

Retailing Commandments

2011-06-04T23:10:00.013-04:00

"Customers don’t expect you to be perfect George.
They do expect you however to fix things when they are not perfect."

~Ralf Strub, President of Bellstar Hotel & Resorts

"You’ll never have a product or price advantage again.
They can be easily duplicated, but a strong customer service culture can’t be copied."

~Jerry Fritz, Director of Management Institute

University of Wisconsin

"Although your customers won’t love you if you give bad service, your competitors will."

~Kate Zabriskie, founder of Business Training Works, Inc

–noun

1. a command

Sincerity and Integrity.

The Business of Management

Management Speak

(or how to use 89 cliches to sound like you know what you're doing)

Project Management for Dummies, part II

Lessons from the Red Baron

Dealing with Difficult Employees II

1. The Aggressor

2. The Chronic Complainer

3. The Super-Agreeable

4. The Know-It-All Expert

5. The Pessimist

6. The Staller

Retailing Commandments

com·mand·ment

Project Management for Dummies, Part I

Romeo and Juliet are Dead....

Lessons from a Pool Hall

The Art and Science of Managing

Laughing on the Rocky Road to Dublin

Why Laughter?

Boosting Morale

Making Humor Happen In Your Organization

Retaining your greatest Asset: Your Employees

Listen To What You're (Not) Hearing

K.P.I. - More Valuable Than 9 Scrabble Points

Why Layoffs Don't Work

When to Coach and Mentor Your Employees

Rising To Incompetence, Part III: Flattenning The Corporate Hierachy

Rising To Incompetence, Part II: The Performance Management Alternative

Rising To Incompetence, Part I: Promote or Demote?

Can I Be A Good Manager?

Need For Good Managers Increasing

Dealing With Difficult Employees Part II: Types And How To Deal With Them

1. The Aggressor

2. The Chronic Complainer

3. The Super-Agreeable

4. The Know-It-All Expert

5. The Pessimist

6. The Staller

Dealing with Difficult Employees, Part I

From Manager to Leader

What's Next?

Project Management For Dummies, Part II: Being an Extremist

Project Management for Dummies, Part I

Retailing Commandments

com·mand·ment