Whiteboards That Work!

Using the Situational Leadership (tm) Model in Job Interviews

2009-03-26T09:56:48-07:00

I mentioned in my last post that a management job interview will likely include a question about how you might handle a given employee situation. An effective way to respond to this question is to draw a picture while providing an explanation.

PUTTING THE SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP (tm) MODEL TO WORK
The Situational Leadership (tm) Model by Dr. Hersey teaches us that the correct way to respond to any employee situation depends on the employee's level of competency in their task areas combined with their commitment to these tasks. These two factors determine the management style to take in any given situation. This is the what I like to append to my "it depends" answer.

I like to begin my response using the explanation above while drawing an X-Y graph on my notebook paper. I label the X axis commitment and the Y axis competency. I also like to label the corner of the graph 'low' and both ends of each axis 'high.' (see image below)

I complete the graph by creating a 2 x 2 matrix since there are four possible combinations of competency and commitment in this model:

Low competency/low commitment
Low competency/high commitment
High competency/high commitment
High competency/low commitment

This leads to four possible management style responses depending on the assumed level of competency and commitment. This is where we answer the question of how to respond. Our response depends on the employee's level of competency and commitment.

I like to name and draw each of the four management styles as I discuss them which results in the completed diagram below:

Low competency/low commitment = Coaching Style
Low competency/high commitment = Supporting
High competency/high commitment = Delegating
High competency/low commitment = Directing

GIVE SPECIFIC WORK EXAMPLES
I might also add that for each type of management style you explain it is important to include a very brief, real-life example from your career. This not only confirms your understanding of the management style but also demonstrates your use of it in a work situation.

In this post I focused on using a picture in a job interview illustrated by Dr. Hersey's Situational Leadership (tm) model. I purposely left out a lot of details of this model in favor of keeping the focus on how a picture helps increase the effectiveness and success of a job interview. If you are not familiar with this model and plan on using it in a job interview I suggest you might benefit from studying it in greater detail by exploring Dr. Hersey's website. You'll find more information about the model as well as certification courses in using it at your place of business.

I also suggest you create your own examples of each style and where you used them in your career so that you are fully prepared to share them in your interview.

Succeeding in Management Job Interviews Using Pictures

2009-03-25T11:59:19-07:00

You can be sure that a management interview will a include a question about how you might handle a hypothetical situation with an employee. Here's a wonderfully effective way to respond using a simple, well-known framework.

WHAT ALL MANAGEMENT QUESTIONS HAVE IN COMMON: THE EMPLOYEE
No matter what the management question is concerning a situation with an employee, don't forget that the common denominator is the employee. And as all employees come in different flavors, most answers can begin with "it depends." A great response will not only discuss what it depends on, but also what it does not depend.

You see most interviewees are trying to figure out your dominant management style and if there is a fit between your style and the team you may be hired to manage. But we all know that an effective manager is skilled in at least four styles and employs them depending on what is needed at the time. Therefore the appropriate answer does not depend on your dominant management style but knowing and using the style most needed considering the employee and the situation at hand.

This approach is clearly the case of not directly answering the question asked, but answering the question that should have been asked and gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of the theory and the wisdom of your experience in a way that will make you stand out from the pack.

NEXT UP: USING THE BLANCHARD HERSEY SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP MODEL

Job Interviews: Increasing Use of Diagrams and Whiteboards

2009-03-07T14:01:48-08:00

There are many professions where drawing a picture or diagram in the job interview is very common, if not expected. Software Architecture, Business Process Engineering, and Enterprise Architecture are only a few examples where it is quite natural for the interviewee to pull out a piece of paper and supplement their responses with visual communications.

It is becoming even more common place for the interview to consist of time spent at the whiteboard solving a problem or doing a quick “chalk talk.” “Giving good whiteboard” is one of the top ten skills an Enterprise Architect candidate should possess according to Larry DeBoever, renowned technologist and managing director at EAdirections.

Jeffrey Kay, in his article entitled “Greet your next job candidate with a whiteboard and marker,” advocates the use of the whiteboard as a means to more effective job interviews. Niniane Wang includes this same theme in her advice on how to prepare for a software engineer job interview in a brief but excellent paper entitled “Preparing for a Software Engineering Interview.”

So we can see that becoming skilled at drawing simple and effective diagrams or pictures can help you in your job interview and it may even be a matter of survival depending on the job and the industry in which you are interviewing.

In light of this, why not consider honing your skills in this ever-increasing area?

Recent posts on this topic:

Standing Out In Job Interviews Using Visual Communications

Job Interview Success: Draw A Picture!

Succeeding in Management Job Interviews Using Pictures

Using the Situational Leadership Model in Job Interviews

Standing Out In Job Interviews Using Visual Communications

2009-03-06T08:36:15-08:00

We've been talking about using visual communications to increase our success in job interviews (See Job Interview Success: Draw A Picture!). Perhaps you initially dismissed this idea as non-traditional or risky. Let's think about it a little more ...

Imagine you are interviewing a candidate for a position in your company. It is late in the afternoon and this is your 6th and last interview of the day. You work your way through the initial chit-chat and normal set of questions.
Suddenly in response to one of your questions this candidate pulls out a piece of paper from her notebook and begins to draw a simple diagram. She isn’t much of an artist; the figures are crude and simple. But somehow in a few seconds she’s conveyed the essence of your operation on a single page using just a few simple characters and symbols.

From this vantage point she demonstrated a fundamental understanding of the business you are in, what you produce, and how you transform raw materials to finished products. She demonstrated her grasp of the critical elements that all work together to produce the product you market and sell to your customers.

Who do you think stood out from all the other candidates? Who do you think got the job?

Job Interview Success: Draw A Picture!

2009-03-05T11:32:20-08:00

Many job interviews fail to realize their highest potential due to a lack of communication and connection. The goal of all job interviews is for the interviewer to be connected to the potential employee and be thinking, "This person gets it! I must find a way to hire them." One of the most successful ways to accomplish this is also the most underutilized: Drawing pictures.

SEEING IS BELIEVING
With 65% of the population as visual learners why don’t we use pictures and other forms of visual communications more frequently, especially for something as important as a job interview?
Pictures offer many advantages for effectively communicating:

Pictures are language independent
Pictures can simplify and cut right to the point
Pictures are memorable

What better way to communicate independent of language, keep it simple and to the point, and leave a memorable experience in the eyes of those who have hiring authority than by using a few simple pictures in a job interview?

PUT PICTURES TO WORK IN YOUR INTERVIEWS
If you are one of many that are out there looking to improve your employment situation, and especially if you are currently out of work, why not put some time and effort into honing your visual communications skills by learning a few basic VC principles and adding them to your interview toolkit? It’s easier than you think!

In subsequent posts we will be concentrating on this important skill so stay tuned. In the meantime, what has been your experience with using pictures in interviews? Please take a few moments and leave your comments below.

Job Interviews: Increasing Use of Diagrams and Whiteboards

Succeeding in Management Job Interviews Using Pictures

Using the Situational Leadership Model in Job Interviews

What All Effective Project Scope Statements Have in Common

2008-12-19T09:53:53-08:00

Perhaps one of the most challenging activities in managing projects is crafting a good project scope statement. In this post we'll discuss the three elements of a great project scope statement you can use to get the words out of your project team and on paper.

WHAT ALL EFFECTIVE STATEMENTS HAVE IN COMMON
I've noticed that the most effective project scope statements have three things in common:

They all convey the current situation with a sense of urgency
They all paint a vivid image of the end result
They all clearly layout the imperatives for achieving project success

Sounds easy? Try hammering out a concise project statement with your team using this criteria! Here are some tips you can use to make the job productive and fun!

THE TRUTH
The first thing I've noticed about an effective statement is that it does a great job in conveying the truth about the current situation. In fact, the reason why the project got funded in the first place was that someone noticed a problem or an opportunity and was passionate about changing it.

A good statement not only conveys the truth, it creates a sense of urgency in the reader. I've found at least two ways to do this:

The facts create anxiety in the heart of the reader - if things don't change, trouble is on the way...
The facts stir up excitement and passion in the heart of the reader - there is a great opportunity to capture!

In either case, in helping the reader to face the truth, you are setting the stage for the next characteristic: envisioning the future end state the project delivers.

VIVIDLY PORTRAYING THE FUTURE
Every successful project scope statement I've seen clearly paints a picture of the end result of the project. It answers the question, "What does the world look like when this project is done?" The more vividly and accurately you can describe the end state in the language of the reader, the more powerful the statement becomes.

This naturally leads to the last characteristic which answers the question, "So what do we have to do to get there?"

IMPERATIVES: THE KEY TO PROJECT SUCCESS
An effective project statement is not complete without a small, clear, compelling set of imperatives - things that must get done in order to claim the prize at the end of the project. I like to keep the number in my statements in the range of 3-5 imperatives. These imperatives act as major buckets that work can be divided into. Some people like to think of these things as "themes."

NEXT UP - Using some graphic facilitation and diagramming techniques to rapidly help your team create such a statement and at the same time getting their buy-in: two for the price of one!

Interested in more posts on PROJECT SCOPE??

Project Scope Management: How Visual Communications Can Help

Focusing Your Team: The Six Thinking Hats

Project Scope Statement Development: Hedging Your Bets with Stakeholders

Visualizing Project Scope

Context Maps: The Key For Getting To "Why?"

"What Diagrams" for Educators

2008-10-28T12:14:20-07:00

Just a quick post to expand the idea of "what diagrams" for those that teach. In writing the post on visual architecture I reflected back on my experience teaching night classes on computer networking at the university. I have a few ideas to share but hope this will not only give you some ideas but motivate you to share what you do with all of us as well.

THE "BRANSON 5 TIME RULE"
Throughout my teaching I liked to refer to the "Branson 5 Time Rule." This rule states that it takes about 5 exposures to a term to begin to be comfortable with it. I would mention that frequently in my networking classes because they were loaded with jargon and acronyms that would intimidate the students and block their learning. I think this helped them to relax and let themselves gradually learn, knowing that we would talk about it again at least five more times in the class and each time they would gain greater familiarity with it, how it is used, what it connects to, and so forth.

GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO HOOK ON TO
So what does this have to do with "what diagrams," you ask? Good question. "What diagrams" can provide a place for students to hook terms and concepts. A good visual can act as a mnemonic or "memory aiding" tool. A good visual is even more effective if it combines words with the picture.

For example, in networking classes I used the International Standards Organization's Open Systems Interconnect reference model. It is a tall rectangle with seven layers starting at the bottom. Each layer has a name and a set of functions it performs. I found that by teaching the model well and having the students commit the model to memory I could relate almost everything we discussed to a layer or layers on the model. Understanding the model also provided the basis for understanding how networks function. I would come back to the model many times in each class. By the end of the semester these students were pros with the model. I found later that they continued to use the model to isolate and repair some of the most complex and vexing network problems they later encountered in their jobs.

THE PRINCIPLE
So the principle here is to find a "what" diagram or visual aid that can form the basis for a topic and can carry you and your students through the class as I did with the ISO OSI model.

I'm very innterested to hear about your experiences. Do you have a picture you use personally in your life? How about one that you have found valuable in your teaching? Please take a few moments and share with us. I'd love to get a good discussion going on this important topic.

Good Visual Architecture Defined - Part 1

2008-10-28T11:36:54-07:00

Visual architecture is the overall design or structure of a visual tool such as a diagram or a visual aid. In this post and throughout this series we explore a few fundamentals you can use to ensure that the diagrams, project artifacts and teaching aids you create are effective.

Adding a visual element to your work has proven to dramatically increase the effectiveness of your efforts whether it be in the boardroom, at project team meetings or in the classroom. Good visual aids have been known to unify teams, give clarity to complex and vexing challenges, and illuminate and inspire the minds and lives of students, and those they infuence, for a lifetime.

ATTRIBUTES AND QUALITIES OF GOOD VISUAL ARCHITECTURE
Let's start this discussion by thinking about some of the key attributes of a well-architected diagram or visual aid. I like to begin by zeroing in on it's purpose (the what) and it's audience (the who). This may sound too basic to some but I can assure you that more efforts fail by neglecting these two simple items than almost any other.

HOW TO GET CLEAR ABOUT PURPOSE
I learned almost everything I needed to know about getting to clear, purposeful diagrams from my freshman english teacher (of all places). She taught us about using interrogatives to write good newspaper articles and papers. Remarkably they apply just as well to good visual architecture.

I remember very clearly the following poem by Rudyard Kipling from his work The Elephant's Child:

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

We can put these "serving-men" to work for us too. I find that all diagrams and visual aids tend to fall into at least one of the following six categories of purpose:

WHAT DIAGRAM
WHO DIAGRAM
HOW DIAGRAM
WHEN DIAGRAM
WHERE DIAGRAM
WHY DIAGRAM

Now think about the last diagram or visual aid you created - what category does it fall into? We'll talk briefly about each one in this series starting with the "What Diagram."

WHAT DIAGRAMS
"What Diagrams" exist to help set context. I've used them in corporations to illuminate complexity, cost, and duplication.I've also used them in committees to identify areas under study, scope, or roles and responsibilities. In the classroom I've shown bodies of knowledge on a topic, provided overviews, and matched names with pieces and parts to a network.

"What Diagrams" can be used to bridge the gap between students and teachers, technical and business people, and any other diverse group that may be coming from different perspectives and backgrounds. Visual aids such as diagrams have the power to transcend specialized nomenclature and jargon getting people focusing and talking at the same level.

Good visual archecture includes being clear about the purpose of the diagram or visual aid. You can use the six serving-men to hone in on your purpose and improve the results of your work many times over.

Where do you use "what diagrams?" I'd be interested to hear about yoru experience with them and how they have helped you in your work. Please be sure to add your comments to this discussion below.

In my next post we'll be discussing "who diagrams" and their uses. See you then.

One-Page Diagrams: 2 Considerations That Make for Success!

2008-10-11T12:43:11-07:00

The secret of creating effective one-page diagrams really comes down to 2 considerations. I've tested these considerations in all my client work and found them helpful in all cases. You can test them too. In this post we'll briefly explore these considerations so that you can begin to dramatically increase the effectness of your diagrams or the diagrams of those you supervise, mentor or teach.

Here's the secret:

Creating effective one-page diagrams requires us to consider the diagram's purpose and the diagram's audience.

This sounds simple doesn't it? It is. But in spite of the simplicity we still see more ineffective diagrams out there than effective ones. Why? Because knowing is not doing.

My goal for this post is to provide a few simple guidelines that will help you create the right diagram for the right audience every time.

CONSIDERING A DIAGRAM'S PURPOSE
The key to a purposeful diagram is to make use of the common interrogatives of who, what, why, where, when, or how. Think of the purpose of your diagram. Is it simply a "what" diagram? For example, I was given a challenge several years ago by a colleague to create a diagram of the technical infrastructure of the company all on one page. What a challenge! But think about it: She was asking for a visual inventory of the technical infrastructure, a "what" diagram.

Another example is what I call the Relationship Map described in another post. In this diagram I model "what" the department does, "who" it does it for and with, and "what" the nature of the interactions are with the "who" identified in the diagram. It's that simple.

Reducing the purpose of a one-page diagram to an interrogative or multiple interrogatives helps achieve better clarity.

Another way to this approach is to identify the question/s the diagram is to answer.

In my first example the question was, "Of what is our infrastructure comprised?" The Relationship Map answers the following questions, "What does this department do? Who are they dependent on to do their job? Who do they do their job for? What is the nature of the interactions with others in the course of their business?"

CONSIDERING THE AUDIENCE
The second consideration is to identify the audience. This is very important because in doing so you will automatically specify the level of detail and style of your diagram. For instance, a diagram created for a techinical specialist differs in scope and detail from a diagram created for an architect or the business head of the division. My first example was for a director of a division which informed the level of detail I used in creating the diagram.

Speaking of "who," I've also found that personality types play a big part of the success of one-page diagrams. By this I mean that I found it helpful to consider the four major personality types identified by most pyschologists and organizational development gurus. I like to summarize them at a high level as "why people" (planners, strategists), "what people" (accountants, analysts), "who people" (sales, marketing), and "how people" (technical support, operations).

I learned this by a challenging experience related to my first example of the infrastructure diagram. I was verifying my draft diagram with different parts of the IT organization and was meeting a great deal of acceptance and enthusiasm for the work so far. However when I presented it to the technical support team I was meet with a high degree of anger, tension, and anything but acceptance. They were actually very offended by the diagram and felt it had absolutely no value at all. I quickly realized I was holding a "what" diagram in my hand presenting it to a group of "how' people. Once I clarified that getting to how was important and in scope but that the first step was simply to identify "what" we had they calmed down and were the most helpful group of all.

Finding a match between the purpose of a diagram and the audience is essential to the success of a diagram.

Anticipating a mismatch and confronting it up-front will help you avoid episods like my experience with the tech team.

YOUR TURN
What have you found to be helpful in creating great diagrams in your job experience? Please let us know in the comment area below. If you have a blog, please feel free to put your response in a post and use the trackback feature at the bottom of of the page.

Raising the Bar on Bad Diagrams

2008-10-08T15:41:26-07:00

Bad diagrams are like long articles with no headlines, no formatting, and no punctuation! This is the first in a series intended to raise the quality of diagrams across the board. It was inspired by a post by Alan Inglis back in June on his Chief Architect blog entitled: Complex diagrams = bad architecture. As I read his post I found my head nodding in agreement, then cheering him on, and finally said to myself, "Somebody ought to do something about this!" At that moment I recalled something a colleague once said to me, "If not me, who? If not now, when?"

In this post we'll name a few things all bad diagrams have in common. We'll also explore their far-reaching effect. I'll conclude with a call to action intended for three influential groups of people that have the power to put a stop to bad diagrams and help me in my mission to Raise the Bar on Bad Diagrams.

In future posts I'll share the main themes of a paper I am currently writing entitled: Making Sense Out of Chaos: The Anatomy of an Effective Diagram. Won't you join me by adding your comments and thoughts on this vitally important subject?

What All Bad Diagrams Have In Common

I find that bad diagrams all have at least three things in common:

They all lack a purpose
They all are drawn with no particular audience in mind
They are all devoid of any elements of good visual architecture

Lacking Purpose

A bad diagram is not clear in its purpose. Nothing seems to stand out. I find them analagous to a large document with no formatting. That's right. No headlines, subtitles, indentation. Nothing. It is up to the reader to figure out what the author was intending to say.

Bad diagrams are similar in that they also leave the conclusion and purpose up to the viewer; a dangerous state of affairs in today's corporate world.

Who's the Audience?

I have written many times on this blog about the importance of considering who will be viewing the diagram. Knowing your audience and the purpose for your diagram will arm you with what you need to know to create a compelling, powerful diagram.

Lacking Good Visual Architecture

I've also noticed that all bad diagrams seem to violate from few to many elements of good visual architecture. This is one of Andy's points. Consider how this diagram will be viewed, on a laptop or a wall? The visual architecture chosen needs to consider this and many other things that we'll be covering in the paper referred to earlier.

Far-reaching Effect of Bad Diagrams

The reach of bad diagrams go far beyond the people creating them and in the era they were born. I have been surprised in my career as to how far diagrams reach inside and outside the organization. I have been equally amazed at how long they can stay in circulation, sometimes years! Nevertheless they all seem to:

Increase stress and conflict in and out of the organization
Wastes enormous amounts of time by people trying to make sense out of them
Propagate misinformation at an exponential rate the worse they are

Given the drag they put on individuals and organizations, what shall we do?

Call to Action

Three groups of people have the power to make a dramatic improvement in the quality of diagrams being created in organizations. I have a few simple suggestions for each below:

Educators - Teach simple visual architecture principles in your classes along with your regular curriculum
Managers - Mentor team members on good diagramming practices and raise the bar in your organization. If you aren't familiar with these practices, find a member of your team to help you.
Practitioners - Spend a little more time planning and thinking about your diagram before beginning the drawing.

Let's all work together to see if we can raise the bar just a bit and experience the benefits of better diagrams in our organizations.

Please take a few minutes and add your comments to mine. What do you see as common characteristics of bad diagrams? Do you have a success story you could share?