RUN!  It is going to suck our souls!!!!

With humans, spotting fear can be harder!  Heck, we have a hard time admitting our fears to ourselves!   We look at our business "vacuum cleaners" and pretend that we have a pressing meeting in the other room.  Denial can be as comfy as a pair of flannel slippers.

Ask Yourself This

What are you afraid of in your career? The answer may be hard to find.  When I feel fear, it may manifest as a kind of uneasiness in the pit of my stomach.  I may layer that feeling with a "rational" reason why I should move far away from what I fear.

Stories of Fear

One young “star” that I knew refused to apply for a management position, saying that she didn’t think she was qualified. Later on I learned that she was afraid that her peers would resent her for getting promoted, that they would think she was trying to say she was “better” than them.

She feared the reaction of her peers, and her loss of a friendly relationship with them.

One executive that I knew essentially stopped managing one of his teams. There had been an unfounded sexual harassment complaint lodged against him from within that team, and he responded by minimizing all contact.  He was no longer managing that group.

He feared that his reputation would be dragged through the mud - again.

When I was younger, I told my manager that I’d take a promotion that I didn’t want, because I was afraid of losing her approval if I said no. I was a wreck, feeling forced into the situation and very unhappy about it.

I feared saying “no thanks” to my manager, even when I knew saying “yes” would make me deeply unhappy and might even make me leave the company.

The common thread in all these situations? None of us owned up to our fear in that moment. We had “plausible reasons” for our actions. We felt that "uneasy feeling in the gut" and jumped right over it.  Avoid - Avoid - Avoid.

“I’m not qualified for that promotion.”

“The team is doing fine on their own.”

“This job is a good opportunity for me. I'd be foolish to overlook it."

 Embracing the Scary

When we are afraid, it is easy to lie to ourselves. The solution? Pay attention to that uneasy feeling in your gut, and spend some time with it. If you ultimately decide that your fear is valid and worth heeding, that is one thing. But if you are letting self-deception stop you from facing your fears constructively, you stop growing.

So what are you afraid of, my friend?  If you're not sure, start paying attention to your physical symptoms.  For me it's that queasy feeling.  For you it might be a headache, or a feeling of panic.  

Face it.  Question it.  Sit with the feeling.  Chances are there is something to be examined, just beneath the surface.

Cheri Baker (contact) is an Organizational Development Consultant in Seattle, WA. She offers a comprehensive training program for first time supervisors - tailored to your organization’s culture and goals. 

"The Radiant Buddha said regard the fleeting world like this: like stars fading and vanishing at dawn, like bubbles on a fast moving stream, like morning dewdrops evaporating on blades of grass, like a candle flickering in a strong wind; echoes, mirages, and phantoms, hallucinations, and like a dream."

            - The Eight Similes of Illusion

About a week ago, I gave my first keynote speech.  Because it was an event at my graduate school, I volunteered my time.  I had a great time, and I think the attendees did too.  Win/Win

Volunteering has a downside though, in that you step into void that can never be fully sated.  I left with a half-dozen requests for my time.  Will you join our committee?  Will you meet me for career coaching?  Will you be a part of our council?  It was like being chum in a pool of hungry sharks.  (as nice as the sharks can be)

Time is What Matters

Did you read the opening passage to this blog post? The message there is that our time is fleeting.  Life in fact, is fleeting.  We only get so many hours on this earth.  How will you spend yours?

I can tell you that mine won't be spent in someone else's committee meeting.  Sound selfish?  I can live with that. I'd argue you should be a little selfish too.

Are you giving up your life to attend to someone else's priorities?

Stop Giving It Away

There is nothing wrong with volunteering of course.  It's a chance to make a difference, to fuel a passion, and to make the world a better place.  But sometimes we give our time away because we are afraid to say no.  Because we feel obligated.

We also give our time away because we get careless.  Do you ever scan through the latest news articles, in search of stimulation but not really sure why?  Have you ever fallen into the Facebook vortex, reading "shared" content that really doesn't add anything to your life?  Do you ever go window shopping, or get guilt tripped into attending unpleasant social events, or spend your evenings watching garbage TV that leaves you feeling tired or sad?

I think it's time we opt out.  When we opt out of the garbage and guilt-induced obligation, we are opting into our lives instead.

DeCluttering Your Days

Back in 2009, I decluttered my physical life by downsizing my home and moving into the city center.  That got the ball rolling.  These days what I am interested in decluttering is my time.  

How does one do this?

1) Stop Feeling Obligated -  Your book club, knitting circle, business council, and local chamber of commerce can live without you.  If a group or gathering is adding something meaningful to your life, by all means stay!  If not, bow out.  You're not Jesus.  They'll be OK without you. In my case, I dropped several group memberships.

2) Stop Working for Free - I no longer routinely accept requests to "pick my brain."  Neither should you, in most cases.  I do believe we should all "pay it forward" in our professions, and for this reason it's important to find a less experienced person or two to mentor, FOR FREE,  just as you have been mentored.  But don't confuse that with letting strangers pay for an in depth consultation with a three dollar mocha at Starbucks.  Don't value yourself and your time so cheaply.

3) Stop Wasting Time -  I have this habit of "circulating" through various internet news sites in the evening.  Then a few months ago the Seattle Times put up a paywall, meaning you can't look at articles for free any more.  Removing that website from my "circulation" has subtracted nothing from my life.  So now I'm considering an "information diet" to further scale down.  Why the heck do I need to know about a sensational murder trial in another state?  I don't.  Bye Bye internet news.  Hello discretionary time!

Living a Rich Life, Not a Busy One

A few years ago, I realized that I was perversely proud of how busy I always was.  I would sigh somewhat dramatically and comment on my workaholism like it was something to be admired. What an odd thing to be proud of!  Today, I'm proud of something very different.

I had a great week!  I met with two of my favorite long-term clients (really nice people!)  to hash out the details of some upcoming projects.  I got a third project confirmed with a new client, and  wrapped up a coaching program for a fourth.  I sent off two proposals.  I spent an extra half day tutoring some of my college freshman on how to write their very first APA style paper.  I taught four leadership workshops this week, responded to several emails from coachees, and picked up supplies for next week's leadership classes. 

The proud part?  I worked only about thirty hours this week.  I used the rest of my time to take some long walks, do some housework, talk on the phone with my sister, work on my novel, make plans for an upcoming vacation, play with my cats, and read a few books.  This, despite having a very productive week - just as productive as those old 60 hour work weeks I used to embrace.

Are you ready to improve your work life balance?   Here it goes:  Your time is precious.  Stop giving it away!  Say no.  Stop feeling obligated.  Then you can say "yes" to the things that matter most to you.  

Let me know how it goes, OK?

Cheri Baker teaches classes on time management and other leadership skills to great organizations in the Pacific Northwest. 

"My last company wasn't perfect.  There were some serious issues, but there was a lot that I loved about it too.  I left when I was no longer allowed to do the right thing as a manager."

I asked what it meant to do the right thing, and I got back a list of items that sounded very familiar.

1. Expecting people to do thier jobs well.

2. Letting go of people who don't perform well.

3. Having the authority to make the decisions I need to make, to do my job well.

In my brain a little "Kapow!" went off, because I realize I've been hearing this story from a lot of different managers over the last year.

Good people like to work hard and make a difference. Are you putting up barriers?

Let Us Do Our Jobs. Please.

This director, like most managers I work with, doesn't think that he should be the final authority on all matters.  He is open to the viewpoints of others, and willing to take direction from his CEO.  However, as soon as he felt his hands were tied when it came to running his group appropriately, he took his talents elsewhere.

Managers leave when:

• They are prevented from fixing problems.
• They are required to keep employees that suck at their jobs.
• They are micromanaged.
• They are given big goals, but no authority or resources to achieve them.

Yup, this is what it means for a manager "to do the right thing."

I have not had managers tell me that they leave a job because is is too hard, or because they are expected to work a lot of hours.  I have had several managers tell me that they have left a job (or are thinking about leaving) because they are prevented from doing the good quality work they feel the job deserves.

Do your managers keep quitting?  Are you experiencing too much turnover in your leadership team?  If so, ask yourself if you are letting your managers do what is right.  The answer may surprise you.

Cheri Baker is a consultant who helps organizations reduce unwanted turnover by getting at the root cause of the problem.  PS: Most people want to do the right thing, they just need skills & permission.

You've seen those signs before right?  Usually dingy with red print on a white placard, they declare that the proprietor may turn you out on the street if they find you objectionable in some way.  I've always found these signs to be a bit rude.

While the message may be couched rather crudely, I have found myself pondering the message as of late.  Does it ever make sense to turn customers away?  When someone compliments you by asking for your business, does it ever make sense to say no?

Author Michael Port says yes.  He encourages businesses to adopt the idea of the "red velvet rope" in which you are very selective about who you work with.  Putting aside potential concerns around discrimination (it would be unethical to only work with old white guys - I'm talking to you Wall Street!) I'm starting to run into situations where declining some business makes sense.

The clearer I get about my purpose at work, the clearer I get on which projects I should accept.

Scenario One:  A local organization wanted me to come and do a one-hour talk to a group of ten employees.  I declined, because the project was very small, and was unlikely to lead to any repeat business.

Sometimes it makes sense to focus on the work that is more profitable.

Scenario Two:  I was referred to a not-for-profit who was looking for a facilitator to do some process mapping.  After chatting with the executive director, I realized that I knew another facilitator who would be an even better fit for what they were trying to accomplish.  I referred them.

Sometimes the best person to serve the customer isn't you.   If you truly care about service, you won't be greedy.

Scenario Three:  I met with an executive for a project that sounded perfect, but it was clear that the VP and I didn't "click."  Our styles are very different, and I could sense we would end up butting heads instead of working in partnership.

Sometimes you need to listen to your gut.   Chemistry matters.

It's Really about Saying Yes

What I'm learning is that saying "no thanks" is really a way of saying yes.   Yes, I care about your project.  Yes, I respect my own boundaries.  Yes, I want you to have the best fit.

The fun surprise is that when you can turn away business with integrity, it leads to all sorts of positive outcomes.   The small project goes to a brand new OD consultant who needs an opportunity to flex those consulting muscles and who does a great job.   The referred client is impressed that you referred them to someone instead of being greedy, and looks for other ways to use your services.  The exec you didn't click with is relieved you noticed it too, and appreciates your honesty.

When do you turn a customer away?  There may be times it makes sense.  Something to think about...

Cheri Baker is an OD Consultant in Seattle, WA.   

My key takeaway from the book was his Run-Improve-Grow Model.  Here is an illustration:

From The Fearless Front Line by Ray Attiyah

Attiyah's point is that too many managers are stuck in the "marathon" of the day to day running of the business, instead of allocating sufficient time to improving and growing the business.  Some of the root causes of this are a lack of trust in your people, inability to delegate, and poorly defined systems.  When a manager is overly focused on the day to day details of running the business, stressed out and unable to focus on sustained improvement, Attiyah calls them a marathon manager.

I see this all the time with front line managers, and occasionally with top executives.  When you don't have systems in place for the day-to-day business, you spend all your time handling what should be routine - and you fail to develop your people and spend time delighting your customers. To use a Titanic metaphor, it's easy to run into an iceburg when you are busy organizing the place settings in the dining room.  

Plenty of good stuff in this book! You can check out Mr. Attiyah's book at Amazon and BN.com, but I'll also give you a chance to get your hands on my copy.

BOOK GIVEAWAY:  Leave a comment on this post describing one of your tips for avoiding "marathon manager" syndrome.  I'll select my favorite tip and send that person a copy of The Fearless Front Line.   US Mailing Addresses only please.  Comments close in one week.

First, let's have our owl perform a drum roll......

Fun fact: Owls make poor drummers because they have no arms.

Yes, Mornings are Pretty Great

Waking up early (5:30am) did increase my productivity!  Out of the past 30 days, I've gotten a significant amount of writing done, which was my main reason for undergoing this experiment.  I'd estimate that I got up early 25 days out of 30.  I began all of those days with a cup of tea, a cat at my feet, and a solid 1-2 hours of writing before starting my ordinary work day.

Another surprise was that waking up earlier had the unintended consequence of lowering my ambient stress level.  Having time to myself in the morning means I started my day feeling mellow and in control.  On the few days I slept in, I felt less in-control, and more discombobulated.

Why Mornings Work

There are at least two reasons why mornings are productive.  The first reason is the most obvious.  No one is bugging you at 5:30 in the morning!  There are no meetings to attend at that hour! This may differ of course if you have young kids at home.  

The second reason is less obvious.  There is a certain mental freshness that occurs when you have recently rested.  When I tried to write late into the night, after a very full day of work, I found myself feeling "tapped out" mentally.  In the morning, the mind ready to work, after the original hazy period.  

Adapting the Night Owl

The biggest secret to waking early is something that sounds easy, but is very difficult for us night owls.  Go to bed early!  Freaky early.  Like "I just put my dentures in fizzy water and put a plastic hairnet on" kind of early.

When I am asleep by 10pm, I feel fairly perky at 5:30am.  There is this period of grumpy-fog that lasts for about 15 minutes, but if you relax and drink your tea it goes away.  If I stay up until 11:30, getting up at 5:30 is impossible.

Here are a few practical things that helped me fall asleep earlier:

1.  Eat dinner a bit earlier (move the schedule up)

2.  Relax after dinner!  Pajamas, a good book, some music - think of this as your "spinning down" time.  Put away the cliffhanger TV show and the high intensity video games.

3.  Go dark.   Dim the lights, and put on an eyemask when you go to bed.

4.  I used a small amount of over the counter melatonin, temporarily, to help re-set my clock.  If you decide to do this, consult with your doc as it has some risks.

And also a few things that helped me wake up:

1. Per the tips in Early to Rise, I place my slippers right next to the bed and jump into them in the morning without pausing to think.  My tea is ready to go next to the kettle.

2. I have something fun to work on in the mornings.  Something I *want* to do.  This is key.  

The Plan Moving Forward

Waking up early has been quite positive, to my surprise.  I'll be continuing the experiment in May.  If you are a night owl who believes you can't change, I invite you to consider running an experiment like this too.  If your Owly-ness is working for you, no need to change it.  In my case, I found some better writing time.  

What are you trying to fit into your life?  Could the early morning be the place it fits?

Cheri Baker is a Management Consultant in Seattle, WA.  

#1:  Provide Role Clarity

The lead role can be murky.  As a manager of leads, it is your job to clarify the role, making it clear to everyone in the group what leads do and what they don't.  For example:

Customer Service Lead Job Description

Our lead is the first point of contact for our customer service reps who have questions about what is expected of them.   Our lead is the "trainer in chief" for our reps, and is responsible for providing ongoing feedback on employee performance.   Our lead focuses on the following four things:

1) Training new and current customer service reps.

2) Monitoring calls and call statistics, and providing positive coaching to team members.

3) Handling all escalated calls.

4) Filling in for customer service reps during staffing shortages.

Our customer service lead does not perform HR functions such as hiring, firing, or documenting performance issues.  HR functions associated with managing the team are handled by the customer service supervisor.

   #2 Avoid the Tattle Dynamic

Position your lead as the chief "helper" and not as your "tattler."   Let's say your lead sits down with you weekly to touch base on how well folks are performing, and you notice that there have been a few issues with one employee "Marcus."  

Rather than going to Marcus and saying that the lead sent you, go and interact with Marcus.  Verify the issue yourself.  Then address it.  Never open the conversation with "The Lead tells me you are a problem...."

#3: Structure the Information Flow

Leads are extensions of the management team.  Think of them as capable contributors who can "boost" your reach by being engaged with your team when you can't be present.  In order to get the most benefit from them, be intentional about how you exchange information.

For Example:

"Please monitor these three things every day...."
"If X ever happens, please page me.  I want to know right away."
"We'll meet once a week.  During that meeting I'd like to hear about...."
"I am available to you.  Staff should go to you first with most issues, but if it's an HR issue you can send them directly to me.  If you get stuck on an issue, here is how to reach me during the day..." 

Give your Leads specific things to monitor.

#4 Prepare Them Well

Every lead should be prepared to do the the work they are asked to take on.  

The trick is to delegate to them gradually.  When bringing a new lead on board, don't drop all of the responsibilities on them the first day.  Step them into the role.  Can they track metrics?  Great.  Do they know how to give good quality feedback?  Observe and coach them.  Giving someone the lead title doesn't automatically make them awesome.  You need to help them get there.

#5 Be Available

A common mistake I see is when managers defer all responsibilities to their leads and then 'check out' of the team almost entirely.  Be present!  When you are onsite together, stop by the department daily if possible.  See if your lead needs anything.  Observe performance.  You're still the manager right?  Don't be an absentee manager.

If you manage one or more leads, how do you support them in this quasi-managerial role?  Any tips to add to the five listed here?  I'd love to hear from you.

Cheri Baker offers Supervisory Training courses to some of the Northwest's Spiffiest employers.  You can check out her consulting website for more information.

Why?  They happen too infrequently to be truly useful.  They are a source of stress for all parties.  They provide limited value.  They place the focus on a "big event" rather than ongoing improvement.

In the fall of last year, I began working with a great organization that happens to agree with this notion, and together we put in place a continuous feedback program that eliminates annual reviews and raises the quantity and quality of feedback throughout the organization.

We're taking a phased approach to this change, and so the work is ongoing.  But here are a few of the things we've learned along the way.

Some HR Professionals are Questioning the Value of Performance Reviews

1) Continuous Feedback is more work for managers, not less.   This isn't just about removing the annual review.  It's about getting managers actively engaged with each employee - coaching them and giving them plenty of on-the-spot feedback.   For many managers, this means more communication and observation than they are used to.

2) Continuous Feedback will expose weaknesses in your management systems.   When you ask managers to actively engage with every employee, you discover things like the fact that you have a couple managers with 30 direct reports.  Or perhaps you have a manager whose communication skills are weak.  Expect to see weaknesses revealed, and they'll need to be addressed.

3) Continuous Feedback should be metrics based.    In our case, we are using a few different measures of success, including employee surveys.  It's important to know if your program is hitting all the marks.   Keep it simple.  "My manager has given me useful feedback within the last 30 days."  "I know what is expected of me at work"  Yes or No?

Of course not everyone agrees that Performance Reviews should be eliminated. The Exploring Talent Management Blog lays out a good case for keeping performance reviews, although they do agree continuous feedback should be part of the process.

Are you thinking about dropping the annual review?    

Cheri Baker is an OD Consultant in Seattle, WA

Email Subscriptions changing to a Weekly Digest

Right now our email subscribers get a message every time a new post goes out.  This is convenient, but it also means you might get a bunch of emails, even if you only read them occasionally.

Moving forward you'll get one email per week, containing all of the new blog posts for that week.   This is to cut down on email clutter.

Other Ways to Connect

Most of our readers get the blog via email, but there are other ways you can get access.  Here are a few of them:

Follow me on Twitter:  All blog posts are tweeted.  I also use twitter socially, so you'll also get photos of my vacations and the occasional snarky comment.  This may or may not be appealing to you. :)

Subscribe on Facebook:  I do post one or two articles a week on our Facebook page.  I try to keep it light, because too many updates are annoying.  Consider this the "low volume" plan. 

Flipboard turns blogs into a touch-friendly magazine.

(Beta) Subscribe on Flipboard:  I'm doing a trial run of porting the blog over to a magazine format on Flipboard.  It's an awesome tool for reading blogs, very convenient, but only available for iOS and Android at the moment.  Search for it, or here is the link: http://flip.it/5rHCs

There is the old fashioned "look at the webpage" method, not to mention good old RSS.  (Lifehacker has recommended some readers).

That's it!  If you have any input on these changes (Particularly if you want me to keep using Flipboard) let me know!

A couple years back, I was brought into to coach an engineering manager.  The company really wanted him to succeed.  I really wanted him to succeed.  But did he want to succeed?

Unfortunately, the answer was "not really." At least not in the way that his company had defined success.  He felt the expectations placed on him were unreasonable, and he was simply biding time until he could find another job.  By the time everyone else had figured this out, the company had spent quite a bit of money on his development.

They wanted it more than he did.  So did I.

Knowing When to Fold

There is a fine line between believing in someone and stretching out the inevitable.  It would be a mistake to give up on someone because they offered some initial resistance to change, but it is also a mistake to keep throwing resources at someone who won't use them.

I hear your concerns boss, but I don't really intend to do anything about it.

So how do you decide where that line is?  It's by no means written in stone, but I think by the third conversation (or coaching session) you can start to see the pattern.

Here are the three patterns I've seen:

1) Adopters -  They may have some initial qualms about coaching, but after a chance to think through their goals they are off and running.  

2) Active Resisters -  They don't want to be coached.  They think coaching is a waste.  They are perfectly fine, thank you.   

3) Passive Resisters -  They will go along with coaching, but won't put in the work after the conversation has ended.  They're treading water - showing up to meetings because they have to, but not really serious about change

Having the Hard Conversation

One thing I'm learning is that it is  important to identify the resisters early in the process, usually around that second or third meeting.  There are a few reasons for this.

1.  Coaching isn't therapy.  It takes a few sessions to uncover the issues and set goals, but if the client can't or won't accompany me even that far, I'm not the right person to help them.  

2.  Coaching isn't unlimited.  I won't allow my clients to throw money into a black hole, even if that black hole happens to be my bank account.  This would be immoral.  Wasteful.

3. Coaching is honest.   I owe everyone my honesty, and that includes the person being coached. Sometimes you need to say  "It sounds like you've decided not to take action on what we discussed..."

Don't be Afraid to End It

I'm tougher than I was five years ago, I think.  Tougher on myself, and tougher on my coachees. I expect more than I used to.  I know that conversation isn't effort.  At some point it needs to go beyond talking about the issues and into action steps.   

Coaching can be incredibly effective when the employee wants to run with the ball.  If you need to tape the ball into their hands and push them across the field with your own two hands, it's a sign that things are not as they should be.

When that happens - it's time to look at other options.  Sadly, that option might be showing them the door.

Cheri Baker is the owner of Emergence Consulting in Seattle.  She coaches supervisors and managers, with an emphasis on those in their first five years in a leadership role.