Great Leadership

Leading in a New Direction - 3 Techniques for Thinking up New Business Ideas

2012-01-26T14:27:00.000-05:00

Here's a guest post from entrepreneur Duncan Murtagh,"an Irishman living in Taiwan, who has been to New Hampshire several times":

How can we move past the tough times of 2011 to a more profitable 2012? Well we could start by coming up with some new ideas to drive revenue growth. In this article I’ll demonstrate 3 different techniques that 3 very different businesses could use, and may have used, to think up new business ideas.

1. The S.C.A.M.P.E.R. checklist of questions is a powerful tool for looking at your existing product/service lines and coming up with new variations. Probably the best way to explain the technique is by working through an example. Let’s imagine you are a family owned ‘fast-casual’ restaurant in a small city facing big competition from national chains such as Panera Bread. What new product or service could you offer to fight back against your deep pocketed competitors?

S = Substitute - Fast Casual restaurants focus mainly on food, less so on drinks and desserts. What if you substituted desserts for food, and ran a fast casual, high quality desserts restaurant?

C = Combine - Could you combine the delivery option of a fast-food restaurant with your own restaurant’s quality food, to create an affordable, quality-food delivery service?

A = Adapt – How about adapting the successful drive-through services that the fast food companies offer to the fast-casual market? Fast-casual food generally takes longer to prepare, so perhaps it could be a phone-in the order 1st, pick-up at the booth system.

M = Magnify – magnify one aspect. Fast casual restaurants usually use higher quality ingredients, could you go a step further and go organic? Or vegetarian or even vegan?

P = Put to Other Uses – use the restaurant as a market research center. Consumers get a free food item for every survey or test they take. The more expensive the item, the longer the survey.

E = Eliminate (or Minify) – The classic Seinfeld episode, “The Soup Nazi”, centers around a passionate soup seller, who sells the ‘best soups in New York’ along with a couple of other items, in a super-efficient manor. Could you copy this tactic and focus laser-like on one main product? Serve the best pasta in the city? The best burritos, and only burritos?

R = Reverse (or Rearrange) – Purchase and consumption of the food normally takes place on the same day right? What if you rearranged this a little so that diners pay in advance, perhaps weekly or monthly for 5,10,15 meals, with a large discount?

2. ‘False Faces’ is a thinking technique that works by reversing the conventional assumptions. The classic example is Henry Ford’s decision to bring the car to the workers, via a production line, rather than having the workers go to the car. Let’s jump forward 90 or so years though and look at a more recent example to explain the technique.

False Faces Step 1 – write down the conventional assumptions. If we roll back the clocks to 1998, when Reed Hastings first dreamed up Netflix, we can easily imagine the serial entrepreneur writing out the conventional assumptions about the DVD rental business at that time:

● Renters will travel to a central location where DVDs are stored -renters will come to the DVDs.
● If DVDs are returned late, the renter will be hit by late fees, as the DVD store misses out on potential rental revenue.
● Most of the rental revenue will come from a narrow range of hit movies.

False Faces Step 2 – reverse the assumptions: After listing your assumptions, you should now challenge them by reversing them and writing down the opposite of each one. Let’s flip over the assumptions just mentioned and see what happens:

● DVDs will come to the renter, either by mail or via their internet connection.
● No late fees, as a business model where the renter must replace each returned DVD benefits from tardy returns.
● Rental revenue will come from a vast range of movies such as… minor hits, documentaries, classics, kids movies. This will appeal to both early adopters (who can spread the word) and customers not being served by current DVD rental businesses.

See what happened there? By reversing the conventional assumptions, a radically different business model has emerged which happens to be the one Netflix has deployed to great success. What could you discover if you reversed the assumptions around your business?

3. ‘Incubation’ is more than just ‘sleeping on it’. Everyone has heard the old cliché ‘let me sleep on it’ but you might not know why this works and the best way to apply this technique. Let’s look at a personal example to illustrate how to use the technique - How I used incubation to come up a name for my online suggestion box company – ‘Vetter’.

Step 1 - Jot down some rough details of what kind of product/service (in my case a name for my business) you are trying to come up with. Here’s what I wrote, about 6 months back: “Something short and snappy, easy to spell and ideally a real word. Should communicate the removal of bad ideas – e.g. ‘sift’.”

Step 2 - gather information about the challenge. In my case I read articles about naming a company and looked at some competitors names, to make sure I picked something that stood out.

Step 3 - Instruct your brain to find a solution, let go of the problem and forget about it for a while. Go exercise, sleep, socialize, work on other things.

Step 4 - Rejoice when a solution arrives! In my case the solution was the name “Vetter”. As you can probably figure out, the word means a person or thing that ‘vets’ something and sounds a bit like ‘better’. It’s also short and snappy” so it ticked all the boxes. As an interesting side-note, the idea arrived while in the shower, in keeping with the wise words of an un-named physicist who many years ago said: “We often talk about the three B’s, the Bus, the Bath, and the Bed. That is where the great discoveries are made in our science.”

I use these techniques several times a month and have tackled all kinds of problems with them. What are your favorite techniques for coming up with new business ideas? Please post them in the comments.

Duncan Murtagh is fascinated by the thinking process, creativity and ideas. That’s why he co-founded Vetter, which helps companies get more suggestion box ideas and break through the fuzzy front end.

Image source.

How to Get the Most Benefit from an Executive Development Program

2012-01-24T15:48:00.000-05:00

In my current role as Director of Executive Development Programs at the University of New Hampshire, I’ve had the opportunity to observe and interact with hundreds of our program participants.

In former roles, in managing leadership development programs at large companies, I would always take the time to talk to participants before and after they attended an external executive development program.

Along the way, I’ve learned a lot, including how to design programs that meet the needs of real-life executives. There are a lot of variables you need to pay attention to – the instructors, the design of the program, the venue, to name a few. However, there’s an important variable that I may have the least control over – but matters as much as anything else – and that’s the participant.

I’ve seen it happen over and over again – same program, different participants, and wildly different results.

So what’s the secret? Why does participant A get a 200% ROI, yet participant B only gets 20%? I’m pretty convinced it comes down to the following:

(btw, I wrote this in the context of an executive development program, but many of the tips would be applicable for any training program, conference, or learning event.)

1. Connect, connect, connect!
While the rest of this list isn’t in order of importance, this one is THE most important for sure. The participants that learn the most, take the most away, and continue to learn and develop, well after a program has ended, are the ones that make every effort they can to connect with others. They network with the participants, the instructors, guest speakers, heck, even the cab drivers. It only takes a little extra effort – arriving a little early in the morning, putting the cell phone away on breaks, and exchanging contact information. More importantly, it’s a mindset – that everyone has something to share, and a willing to extend yourself to others. Being an introvert, I realize it’s not as easy as it sounds – so while it can be exhausting, it’s worth the effort.

2. Do the prework and evening assignments.
Most executive development programs are heavy on the pre-work and evening work – case studies, assessments, interviews, etc…. They are designed that way intentionally as a way to maximize the time spent in the classroom. It’s always obvious when a participant has either taken shortcuts or crammed at the last minute. They are scrambling to catch up and can drag down their teams or partners.

3. Take risks.
If you’re an introvert, see #1. If you hate making presentations, volunteer to go first. If you’re a right-brained analytical, try out some new creative techniques. If you have never tired sushi, then plug your nose and give it a try.
When I was learning to ski, the instructors always said if you’re not falling, you’re not learning. Taking those risks – and either succeeding or failing and learning – is what development is all about.

4. Listen for understanding, not to judge.
In other words, keep an open mind. Believe me, this is WAY easier said than done. We are naturally conditioned to evaluate, judge, accept what already fits into our worldview, and reject what does not. Successful senior managers are especially prone to this. Force yourself to suspend this tendency, and listen for possibilities.

5. Keep a journal and create an action plan.
Although programs often encourage participants to do this, when I walk around, I often see a lot of blank pages. The ones that I see actually implement ideas back on the job seem to refer back to their own notes, not the formal course material. They internalize it, take ownership, and figure out a way to adapt it to their own work back on the job better than those that don’t. And yes, tablets are replacing the old Moleskin journals, and they work just as well.

6. Meet with your manager before and after the program.
I’ve talked to managers who were not even aware their employee attended an executive development program – they thought they were on vacation! Meeting with your manager prior to a program to set learning goals and expectations, and after a program to review learnings and action plans – helps you hold yourself accountable. It’s also a good way to help justify your manager’s decision to invest in your development – and show your appreciation.

Also, if there are alumni from the same program within your own company, take the time to reach out to them. It will help prepare you before the program, and give you a support system after the program.

7. Maintain your energy level.
Get a good night’s sleep, avoid too much alcohol, and maintain your exercise routine while attending a program. Some programs even build a wellness component into the week – so if you don’t already lead a healthy lifestyle, a program may be the catalyst to get you started. More energy = more learning = more ROI. The participants I see in the fitness center are the ones that participate, ask the best questions, and outshine the karaoke kids.

8. Clear your slate for the program.
No, it is NOT impossible to do this. I’ve seen high level, highly successful hard-charging executives manage to clear their calendars, delegate their responsibilities, and avoid conference calls, phone calls, and even emails for 3-5 entire days. They get tons more out of the program, and their careers don’t fall apart while they are off the grid. This is how they manage to network more (#1), exercise (#7), and do their evening assignments (#2). It takes some thoughtful planning to pull this off, but its well worth it, and can even be invigorating.

If you follow these tips, you’ll double, triple, or quadruple your ROI. It doesn’t mean the program has to be ALL work and no play. It’s a shame to go to a new city and spend the entire time in a hotel or conference center. Many programs will either build in a night out, or allow participants to have an evening on their own. Go ahead, get out and see the sights and experience the local culture – in moderation. The informal social time can help build stronger, lasting networks, and helps create a memorable experience.

Share these tips with anyone planning to attend an executive development program, or help build the list by adding your own tip in the comments section.

Caring for the Commons

2012-01-20T16:47:00.002-05:00

Guest post by Fred Kiel, Ph.D. & Doug Lennick:

If you’re in a leadership position, you make hundreds of decisions each day – and most of those have the potential to impact the well-being of others. They are moral decisions. Don Blankenship, the CEO of Massey Coal Mines regularly made decisions to bypass safety procedures and ultimately those decisions led to the accident which killed 29 workers. On the other hand, Jim Sinegal, the recently retired CEO of Costco Wholesale, generously paid his warehouse employees. Even part-time workers receive benefits. Incidentally, Costco employees sell twice as much merchandise per square foot of retail space as their nearest competitor – Sam’s Club! He did so in spite of steady criticism from Wall Street analysts.

So, the decisions you make as a leader are nearly always moral decisions. If a decision impacts the well-being of other people, it is a moral decision.

Moral Intelligence and Universal Principles

In our book, Moral Intelligence 2.0, we define moral intelligence as our mental capacity to apply universal human principles to our personal values, goals, and actions. While cognitive (IQ) and technical intelligence are important in your role as a leader, moral intelligence is significantly more important because it directs the other intelligences and provides meaning. The implementation of moral intelligence can profoundly - and positively - impact your business.

Four universal moral principles (Figure 1), honored by people of all cultures and creeds, are the foundation for organizational success and the health of the global economy. Demonstrating integrity generates trust. Practicing forgiveness for well-intentioned mistakes is necessary for innovation to flourish. Compassion – caring for others as human beings vs. just a means to an end – has a direct impact on the retention of talent. And finally, demonstrating responsibility by admitting mistakes, and showing that you “care for the commons” – or care about “leaving the world a better place” – inspires and energizes people. “Caring for the commons” is more often known as “corporate social responsibility.”

Figure 1

Four Universal Moral Principles

Maximizing Shareholders’ Returns

But not everyone agrees that business leaders need to “care for the commons.” After all, we’ve all been told that the primary purpose of business is to maximize the shareholders’ return over the needs of all other stakeholders. That’s the claim of nearly every analyst on Wall Street. Milton Friedman, for decades the icon of the Chicago School of Economics, also thought so. He emphatically stated this in the middle of the 20th Century. Furthermore, he was firmly against the use of corporate resources for promoting the common good:

“There is only one social responsibility of business—to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game…Few trends could so thoroughly undermine the very foundation of our free society as the acceptance by corporate officials of a social responsibility other than to make as much money for their stockholders as possible. This is fundamentally a subversive doctrine.” (Capitalism and Freedom, p 133. University of Chicago Press)

Wall Street and most corporate CEOs of public companies have embraced this view for at least the past 40 years.

So How Has This Worked For Us?

We think everyone would agree that the foundation of our free enterprise system has taken several jarring hits so far in the 21st century. The quarterly focus on shareholder return at all costs has frayed the fabric that holds the system together. Meeting “guidance” by managing earnings is the standard. “Spin” by a CEO is expected.

Many of the regulations that worked before the mid-1970’s were dismantled and several onerous new regulations have sprung up in reaction to the resulting scandals. Neither of these changes were wise moves. Both the informal and formal rules and regulations have been changed. As a result, the norms for successful commerce have been weakened.

If Milton Friedman were still alive, he would have to admit that it’s not the use of corporate resources for social causes that nearly brought down the world financial system. Quite the contrary – it was social irresponsibility – the pervasive absence of a sense of personal responsibility for the way the capitalistic system works. This is the subversive doctrine!

What Our Research Shows

In our ongoing research on the moral intelligence of CEOs, we’ve discovered that low concern for the common good leads to lower productivity and workforce engagement. Furthermore, business performance suffers. (Figure 2)

Figure 2
CEOs Who Demonstrate a Concern for the Common Good

Versus CEOs Who Show Little Concern

As a business leader, your decisions impact the social fabric – for better or worse.

Demonstrating personal responsibility and a concern for the common good as a leader is one of the major drivers of productivity and workforce engagement. Actual business results can, of course, be impacted by dozens of factors, but a CEO who cares only about pleasing Wall Street and demonstrates little concern for the common good will erode profits and jeopardize the long-term sustainability of the company.

Doug Lennick is the CEO and Co-founder of the Lennick Aberman Group, a performance-enhancement consulting firm that works with executives, leaders and athletes. Fred Kiel, Ph.D., is co-founder of KRW International, Inc. and brings over 30 years of experience to his work with Fortune 500 CEOs and senior executives. Their latest book, Moral Intelligence 2.0, Enhancing Business Performance & Leadership Success, offers insights into the mechanics and benefits of moral leadership and competency.

Creating the Conditions for Sustainable Innovation

2012-01-18T07:30:00.000-05:00

Here's some new research on innovation and a guest post by By Rich Wellins, Ph,D., Senior Vice President, Development Dimensions International (DDI):

In the past year, innovation has risen to the top of the business agenda. With the recession out of the way, corporations are refocusing on looking for new ways to grow. It seems not a day goes by that the major media writes (or broadcasts) stories in innovation. And, it has become more than just an imperative for our corporations, it has become a matter of national pride—or not. Some research shows that the U.S is losing its innovative edge to emerging economies. China, for example, is pouring a ton of state funds into programs, investments, and technology that foster innovation. Just coming back from Singapore in mid-November, I read an article in The Straits Times where the CEO of IDEO, a leading innovation consulting firm, blames the lack of Singapore’s progress on risk-aversion leadership. He felt that the emphasis on having KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) for just about everything was taking “the breath out of innovation”.

The question we want to address here is the role of leadership in innovation. In speaking on the topic around the world, I often ask audiences if the role of leadership is to innovate. The answer is usually no, but to foster a culture of innovation. They are partially wrong. It’s hard to imagine an organization with a team of leaders who are innovateless (a new word!). Imagine Apple without Steve Jobs. I just interviewed Carlos Goshen, Nissan’s CEO. He is leading the charge on zero emission technology.

But they are right that innovation cannot flourish without leaders creating the conditions to make it happen. From 3-M sticky pads to Gillett’s Five Blade shaving system, most new ideas do not originate from the top. The type of leader who can create the right environment is part “personality”. Risk aversion, lack of receptivity to feedback, and arrogance are not the type of personality patterns we need for innovation leaders. However, our belief is that it also can be a skill. Innovation leaders must inspire curiosity, constantly challenge the status quo, create the freedom to explore and experiment, and finally help drive the execution of the most promising new ideas.

In a new research report, “Creating the Conditions for Sustainable Innovation,” (note from Dan: it's a big file, so you can also skim the executive summary here) we recently asked 513 leaders around the world, to rate their own skill level on 20 separate innovation behaviors. If you believe these leaders, we have nothing to worry about. The majority of leaders feel they are darn good at:

• Urging their employees to stay close to their customers

• Being open to new ideas from their employees

• Frequently sponsor brainstorming activities with their teams

• Help employees learn from mistakes and failures.

But before we get too happy, a totally different picture is painted when we ask 514 employees the very same questions about their leaders. In almost every one of the 20 items there is a 20-30% agreement gap between leaders and employees. In other words, the majority of employees feel their leaders are not doing a very good job at all at inspiring a culture of innovation.

There is a happy ending to this story. While it can be tricky, but not impossible, to teach leaders to be more innovative, it is probable we can develop the skills to make them innovation culture changers. We can teach leaders how to help their employees learn from mistakes. We can teach leaders a whole range of techniques to foster generation and evaluation of new ideas. We can teach leaders how they reinforce and recognize bottom-up innovation. If corporation can get every leader using these skills their innovation hit rate will sky rocket. And, if we can get every leader in our respective economies using these skills, it will likely be a lasting source of national competitive advantage.

Rich Wellins, Ph.D. is senior vice president of Development Dimensions International (DDI), and is an expert on leadership development, employee engagement and talent management. He is responsible for launching DDI’s new products and services, leading DDI’s Center for Applied Behavioral Research (CABER) and its major research projects and developing and executing DDI’s global marketing strategy.

Are You Managing or Just Nagging?

2012-01-13T17:14:00.001-05:00

Four universal truths about management:

1. Managers are responsible for the performance of those that report to them.

2. One of the core responsibilities of a manager is to take action when an employee’s performance is not up to par.

3. Confronting an employee performance problem is one of the most difficult (and also the most avoided) discussions a manager can have with an employee.

4. Many employees report that they feel their managers micromanage them, pick on them unfairly, or get all over their case for things that really don’t matter. In other words, they feel their manager is a nag.

Why the big perception gap between a manager doing what a manager is supposed to do and the employee’s reaction?

It’s often because a manager doesn’t know the difference between a legitimate performance issue or work habit and a personal pet peeve.

I’ve found this lack of awareness isn’t just a new manager issue – I’ve run across it just as much with experienced managers that should know better.

The best way to illustrate the difference between a performance issue, work habit, and pet peeve is to give a few examples of each:

1. Performance issue
This is probably the easiest one to get your head around. Performance issues are the results, or outputs of an employee’s work. It’s what an employee gets paid to do. Sometimes it’s measurable, but not always. Some examples:

- Sales units are under quota
- Too many customer complaints
- Too many bugs in the software
- Too many employee complaints (thought I’d throw a manager example in just to be fair)

Although confronting an employee with these kinds of issues can still be challenging, employees are less likely to become defensive or take it personally. After all, the issue is the work – not the person.

2. Work habits
Work habits are the way an employee is doing their job. Although not direct performance outputs, poor work habits will impact performance. Examples include (correlated to the performance list above):

- Not following up on telemarketing leads
- Being rude to customers
- Not testing your code
- Making inappropriate racial slurs

When discussing a work habit, managers need to take the time to make sure the employee understands the clear connection between the behavior and performance and company performance. “Sparky, when you don’t listen to your customers and interrupt them, they feel disrespected, which leads to complaints, which leads to lost revenue”.

3. Pet peeves
Pet peeves are those little things an employee does that irritate a manager. Examples include (using the same performance issue examples):

- A salesperson with a “messy” desk
- Tattoos
- Listening to an IPod while working
- Making dumb jokes that no one really finds funny
- You say tomaytoe, I say tomawtoe

Some of you probably think the pet peeve list sounds very similar to the work habit list. In fact, given the job and context, one manager’s pet peeve may be another manager’s legitimate work habit. So how can you distinguish between the two, so you can be sure you’re doing your job as a manager and not being a nag?

Here are two acid test questions:

1. Can I make a clear connection between the behavior (or lack of) and the performance output?

2. If the behavior doesn’t stop (or start), are you willing to take progressive disciplinary action, up to and including termination?

For example, can you produce a report that shows the error differential between code that was properly tested and code that was not? Probably.

Would you be justified in terminating an employee that refused to follow department testing procedures? You probably could. Could you make the same connection between developers that code with IPods plugged in and those that don’t? Probably not- in fact, there might be an inverse correlation.

However, I know a lot of development managers that ban the use of IPods (or institute clean desk policies, dress codes, etc…) even though these things have no impact on performance. They do it simply because they don’t like it. That’s called nagging at best, or a lack of tolerance. At worst, it’s an obnoxious abuse of power, or discriminatory, that will lead to turnover of talented employees or lawsuits.

Here’s another non-work related, husband and wife example:

Putting the toilet paper on the “wrong” way (facing up or down, whatever your preference is) is a pet peeve. Leaving the toilet seat up is a work habit. It can lead to a soaker in the middle of the night, and ultimately a messy divorce if not corrected.

What about a work habit that’s NOT directly impacting performance? For examples, I’ve written about the “toxic employee” that consistently produces great results but wreaks havoc on the rest of the team. Or the manager that gets outstanding results but violates company values. Again, as long as you can show an indirect connection between the behavior and company performance (in these cases, it may be the performance/morale of others), and you are willing to terminate the employee if it doesn’t stop (assuming you have used a progressive discipline process), then it’s perfectly appropriate. In fact, I’d argue that it takes more courage to take action in these cases.

Managing employee performance isn’t an exact science, but if your follow these guidelines, you stand a better chance of being known as a “firm but fair” manager instead of a Pointy Haired Boss (PHB).

Success: A Breeding Ground for Complacency?

2012-01-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

Here's another exclusive guest post from John Kotter. Great advice on how to battle "complacency cancer":

Success: A Breeding Ground for Complacency?

John P. Kotter

“Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose.”

Bill Gates said that, and he’s exactly right. More often than not, great accomplishments cause individuals and organizations to become comfortable with their way of doing things. Businesses turn static. Workers turn their focus inward. Even the most dynamic of organizations can turn complacent, thinking that what they are doing is right, that there is no need to change, regardless of what’s happening outside.

Here’s one example: This summer, the Washington Post asked me to comment on the debt ceiling debate. At the time, congressmen were busy deflecting blame for the dire economic circumstances gripping the country. Negotiations were gridlocked. A deal to stave off economic calamity seemed out of reach. I wrote that Washington suffered from a “complacency cancer,” that after 250 years as the nerve center of the most prosperous, innovative, militarily and economically advanced nation in modern history, success had gone to our political leaders’ heads. They were resting on their laurels, refusing to change, confident that the old way of doing business would suffice. The same behavior was on display just a few weeks ago, as the congressional “super committee” failed to reach a deficit-reduction deal.

The complacency cancer plagues the private sector as well. I recently read about a study that found successful companies to be far less likely than their weaker counterparts to pursue large-scale change. My own research over more than three decades has shown the same results: despite being better prepared to take bold action, companies with a high level of achievement tend to feel content with the status quo. They sit tight. They focus on themselves. And they ignore the rapidly changing world around them, even in the face of cold, hard facts that clearly show the need to move in a new direction.

It’s plain to see how foolish this thinking is, but no one is immune—not you, not I, not even the most intelligent, experienced leaders. Yet, in today’s constantly changing world, complacency is a recipe for disaster. As a leader, you must do everything in their power to identify it and root it out.

Here are some questions you can ask to determine whether complacency has set in among your employees:

• Are team conversations inwardly focused, and not about new markets, emerging technologies or potential competitors?

• Are past failures discussed only to stall new initiatives, rather than as learning experiences?

• Do important meetings end with no decisions about what needs to happen immediately?

• Do workers regularly blame others for problems, as opposed to taking responsibility and changing behavior?

• Are highly selective facts used to shoot down data that suggests there is a major challenge or opportunity knocking at the door?

If the answer to most of these questions is “yes,” then complacency has taken root. Before it continues to spread, you must take action to instill a sense of urgency in your employees.

Determine what challenges and opportunities are out there. Discuss them with other senior leaders so those at the top have real clarity about where the organization is headed. Then, communicate that opportunity to your workers, keeping each of the following tips in mind:

• Appeal to the head and the heart. Sales figures and spreadsheets can help people start thinking differently, but they’re not going to convince them to change their behavior and take the kind of action needed to move an organization in a new direction. That takes an appeal to the heart. Make a rational case, but do it in a compelling way to win over hearts and minds.

• Bring the outside in. If inward focus is the problem, attention to outward reality is the answer. Share outside perspectives. Shed light on troubling data. Listen to customer-facing employees. Each of these tools can be persuasive in helping people see that the outside world is changing—and so, too, must their organization.

• Behave with true urgency. Lead by example. If you’re expecting your employees to change, you must change first. Demonstrate your own sense of urgency—in meetings, in emails, during speeches and in one-on-one interactions—and never let up.

• Find opportunity in crises. Always look for the upside possibilities. Crises are threats, to be sure. But destabilizing experiences, if navigated carefully and harnessed effectively, can be powerful drivers of change.

• Deal with the naysayers. There will always be skeptics. But then there are people who, for whatever reason, simply do not want change. These people, especially if powerful, can be dangerous. The key is to confront them head-on. Do not try to co-opt them or ignore them. It won’t work. Instead, distract them by sending them on special assignments, expose the fallacies in their behavior for all to see, or, if all else fails, push them out of the organization. That bitter pill is sometimes necessary to fight the complacency cancer.

As urgency takes hold, complacency vanishes. Now, your organization is on the path to true success: able to adapt, to change, and to continually seize big opportunities.

John P. Kotter is the chief innovation officer of Kotter International, a firm that helps leaders accelerate strategy implementation in their organizations. He is also the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, Emeritus at the Harvard Business School. His is the premier voice on how the best organizations actually achieve successful transformations. His international bestseller Leading Change—which outlines an actionable eight-step process for implementing successful transformations—has been used by leaders around the world who want to achieve great results. John and his colleagues at Kotter International write the Change Leadership blog on Forbes.com.

The Performance and Potential Matrix (9 Box Grid) – an Update

2012-01-04T09:54:00.000-05:00

Note: this is an update to one of the very first posts I wrote in November 2007 and continues to be one of my most popular. I thought it was time for an update.

The performance and potential matrix (9 box grid) is one of the most widely used tools in succession planning and development. It can be a valuable tool for anyone who works in talent management, or for any manager.

For some reason, however, it seems to be covered in a veil of secrecy, leaving those that want to learn how to use it with little guidance. You’ve probably found this post from an internet search – I hope it helps answer your questions and you’ll find Great Leadership to be a valuable resource for all things leadership development.

What is it and where did it come from?

The performance and potential matrix, commonly referred to as “the nine box”, is a simple yet effective tool used to assess talent in organizations. It assesses individuals on two dimensions – their past performance and their future potential.

The X axis (horizontal line) of 3 boxes assesses leadership performance and the Y axis of 3 boxes (vertical line) assesses leadership potential. A combination of Y and X axis makes up the box within the grid that the leader is placed. 1A - High Performance/High Potential, 3C - Low Performance/Low Potential, etc...

See example:

No one seems to know for sure who invented it, although I’ve heard Al Gore once took credit for it. Others say it may have been first used at GE, under Jack Welch’s leadership. I first started using it in 1997, and have since used it to facilitate hundreds of talent review meetings (and lived to tell about it). I’ve also used it as a manager as a way to assess and develop my own team.

Thanks to the power of Google, I’ve been invited to give presentations at HR conferences on the 9 box, was interviewed in SHRM’s HR Magazine (8/2011 issue, “On the Grid”), and walked a lot of anxious beginners through the process, including a very grateful HR team from India and a few non-profits that couldn’t afford to hire a consultant.

I’m thinking it might be time for a bestselling book? Something catchy like “Let’s Get Rid of the Nine-box”, or “2B or not 2B, that is The Question”.

What are the benefits? Why’s it so popular?

1. It’s simple and it works (95% of the time).
The beauty of the tool is in its simplicity and ease of use. With a little explanation and initial facilitation, managers usually can catch on pretty quickly. It helps overcome many of the common pitfalls when it comes to talent assessment, including:
- Overemphasis on current performance
- Overreliance on a single opinion
- A lack of assessment criteria, or inconsistent criteria
I’ve had teams (often engineers) try to overcomplicate it, by adding more boxes, definitions for each box, and all kinds of bells and whistles. It hardly ever improves the process and often distracts from the overall purpose.
When I say it works 95% of the time, it’s from my own experience. I’ve only had one senior team where it just blew up, and that’s because there was such a lack of trust and dysfunction.

2. It’s cost-effective.
Actually, other than people’s time, or a paid facilitator, it’s free. There are other ways to assess potential – instruments and assessment centers are great – yet they are also expensive. If you can afford to send every manager through a $10,000 assessment center, then good for you. For the rest, this is the next best thing.

3. A catalyst for robust dialog.
It’s not about filling out the grid – it’s all about the discussion. It’s critical to keep that in front of you. Managers, in general, are not very skilled when it comes to assessing talent, and are very hesitant to discuss other manager’s employees, or hear feedback about their own. This tool helps provide a structured way to have those conversations in a professional, productive way.

4. Helps calibrate criteria and expectations.
Even if you don’t have clear, consistent, definitions of performance and potential going into a talent review, by using this tool, you will by the time you are done. If fact, for a lot of managers in the room, it’s the first time they’ve heard their own bosses’ expectations, so you’ll see them discreetly jotting down notes and assessing themselves.

5. It’s more accurate than one person’s opinion.
The accuracy of assessing performance and potential improves with multiple data points. Manager’s often have blind spots with their own employees, and are unaware of how they are perceived by others. These discussions can help shine a light on superstars and poor performers.

6. Facilitates shared ownership, teamwork.
This is a ground rule for any talent management meeting and discussion: “We all, as a team, are collectively are responsible for building a stronger organization. We need to be candid, listen to each other, and help develop each other’s employees.”
In a functional or segmented organization, talent development is often one of the few things a management team can actually work on together.

7. A diagnostic tool for development.
A talent review meeting uncovers both individual and organizational strengths and weaknesses. The grid serves as a needs assessment for development actions that need to be taken.

How to use it:

1. Don’t do it alone for the first time.
The tool is best if used by a team and facilitated by someone who has experience with the process. This could be an HR person, OD consultant, or someone responsible for leadership development or succession planning. Once a team has used a couple times, they can usually do it themselves, but it still helps to have someone facilitate the dialog, take notes, etc…. If you are a talent management practitioner, try to shadow someone with expertise, hire someone to guide you through your first one, or at least work with someone to prepare you.

2. Have a pre-meeting.
You should present the tool and process to the team to make sure they all understand and buy in to the purpose and process. Don’t underestimate the amount of anxiety if a team has never done anything like this before (a ranking exercise). It’s best to decide ahead of time how performance will be assessed (use a leadership competency model if you have one) and how potential will be assessed (again, best to decide ahead of time – I use specific potential criteria). This is the time to establish ground rules as well, especially around meeting behaviors and confidentiality.

3. Preparation.
Have each manager fill in a grid for their own employees and have the facilitator collect and consolidate them. You could also ask for any other relevant information, such as years in current position, diversity status, retention risk, or relocatability. I usually have each manager plot their direct report managers (one level at a time, so we’re comparing apples to apples). I then consolidate all of the names, by level, on an organizational grid.
You can start with a 2-4 hour meeting, but it will usually take 1-2 follow-up meetings to finish. Bring copies of the consolidated grid for each participant.

5. Getting started.
It’s easier picking someone in the 1A box (highest performance and potential) where you think there may be little disagreement. Ask the sponsor manager to explain the rationale for the assessment. Ask lots of why’s, then invite all others to comment. Don’t rush it, the benefit of this process is in the discussion.

6. Establish your “benchmarks”.
After all have been heard from, if there is agreement, then you have a 1A benchmark, or poster child, for all others to compare against. If disagreement in perception, ask the sponsor manager if they want to change their mind based on the feedback – usually they do – but if not, leave it. Pick another name until you establish the benchmark.

7. Discuss as many names as time allows.
You can then discuss rest of the names in the 1A box, then move to the bordering boxes (1B and 2A). Then move to the 3C box, and again, facilitate a dialog to establish another benchmark. Continue the discussion for each person, or as many as time permits.

8. Move to development.
If time, or most likely at a follow-up meeting, the team can then discuss development plans for each leader. For succession planning, the focus should be on the upper right hand corner boxes (1A, 1B, and 2A) – this is your high potential pool.

9. Follow-up on a quarterly basis to monitor development plans. Repeat the assessment process at least once a year.

More posts on the using the performance and potential matrix:

Nine Leadership Development Strategies for a Performance and Potential Matrix

Reader Question: Nine Box Performance and Potential Matrix Best Practices

How to “Score” Leadership Potential When Using the Performance and Potential Matrix

The January Leadership Development Carnival: Best of 2011 Edition

2012-01-01T09:47:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year, and welcome to the January, 2012 Leadership Development Carnival!

This month's edition is a special "Best of 2011" collection of leadership development blog posts from many of our regular Carnival contributors. Similar to last year's "Best of" edition, I didn't pick them myself - instead, I asked each contributor to submit their own "best" post, along with an explanation as to why it's their best.

Great stuff - and I really enjoyed the author's commentary on why they picked them. After four years of hosting this Leadership Development Carnival, I'm proud to have gotten to know these awesome bloggers and am inspired by their writing.

What a way to start the New Year - I hope you enjoy!

1. Sharlyn Lauby, HR Bartender: The Definition of Leadership.

Reason: " A terrific discussion in the comments on whether we should continue to compare management and leadership".

2. Mark Stelzner, Inflexion Point: How To Talk To A CEO.

Reason: "One of my most popular of 2011 and seems to have universal appeal (given how so many individuals are challenged to prepare for and successfully execute against this nerve-wracking experience)."

3. Mary Jo Asmus, Mary Jo Asmus: 30 Overlooked Acts of Leadership Courage.

Reason: "This was my most read post this year. For some reason, every month or so, it seems to make the rounds again and get reignited in social media. I think this happens because we don’t consider the acts listed as “courageous” but see them as everyday occurrences when in reality in our business world many of them are uncommon, and we want to see more of these things from our leaders. "

4. Laura Schroeder, Working Girl: On Leadership and Stinky Fish.

Reason: "This leadership development post was one of the most fun to write. It has it all: leaders, stinky fish, a funny picture, a bit of personal history and a moral."

5. Tim Vanderpyl, The LeaderLab (submitted by David Burkus): Save a Tree, Stop Strategic Planning.

Reason: "This was our most read piece of original content published in 2011".

6. Anne Perschel, Germane Insights: The Narcissistic Leader: How and Why We Choose Them.

Reason: "I'm writing about Narcissistic Leaders this month and holding others accountable for asking them to lead. This one's been a big hit."

7. Jennifer V. Miller, The People Equation: Making the Most of Leadership Assessments.

Reason: "I see it as a good “fit” for the core purpose of Dan's Great Leadership blog: leadership development. It was also one of The People Equation’s top five most-read posts from 2011."

8. Miki Saxon, MAPping Company Success: Ducks In A Row: Carrots vs. Acknowledgements.

Reason: "I like this post because I find that too many managers don't stop and give thought to the difference between rewards, i.e., carrots and acknowledgement. And the difference is critical for any manager/leader who is responsible for motivating people, whether a team or the whole company."

9. Jane Perdue, LeadBIG, All the broken leaders.

Reason: "Sometimes there's a hangover from things in our past of which we're not fully aware. That became true for me as I wrote this post. Writing evoked many painful memories of that 10-month period, yet revisiting the pain was healing, too. Many of us learned invaluable leadership lessons via a pair of very negative role models. While the post generated online comments, what moved me most were the off-line one-on-one emails it spawned. It seems "The Fixer" is universal, and people had awesome stories of learnings and positive change to share."

10. Jesse Lyn Stoner, Jesse Lyn Stoner Blog: Diagnose and Cure Team Drift (published in Harvard Business Review blog).

Reason: "This post tackles an important, little-talked about issue for teams - "team drift." While major changes alert us that we might be off course, “team drift” occurs as a result of a series of small things, each insignificant on its own, the total of which has accumulative impact. Teams usually just slowly continue to drift off course, not even aware of what’s happening. This post lists 7 warning signs of "team drift" and the 4 steps to address it."

11. Lynn Dessert, Elephants at Work: Do I have to sign my termination or separation agreement?

Reason: "This is the most read post of Elephants at Work since its inception and continues to be the #1 post for 2011."

12. Anna Farmery, The Engaging Brand: The Confused Employee.

Reason: "It was the most popular post of the year."

13. Eric Pennington, Epic Living: The Power of Courage.

Reason: "This post is my favorite because addresses what I need to understand as well as what will be needed in spades in the not-so distant future. I am an experiential writer after all. J"

14. Guy Farmer, Unconventional Training: Leadership Training: Are You an Insecure Leader?

Reason: "I've trained many leaders and employees over the years and I keep hearing about insecure leaders working out their stuff on everyone and making everyone miserable. This post highlights the importance of leaders working on themselves first so they can treat people well, lead more effectively and create happy workplaces."

15. Nick McCormick, Joe and Wanda on Management: Are Your Goals HARD?

Reason: "Here's a podcast I did with Mark Murphy back in May. It's especially appropriate for this time of year as it is on goal setting..."

16. Wally Bock, Three Star Leadership: Simple Leadership Lessons from George Marshall

Reason: "The anniversary of Allied invasion of Normandy, D-Day, June 6, 1944 is agood time to reflect on the leadership lessons we can learn from GeorgeC. Marshall, whom Churchill described as "The Architect ofVictory." We can learn a lot from the way he did his job."

17. Wally Bock, Results vs. Activities: Leadership Development without the Straight Lines

Reason: "You won't find a straight line in nature. In fact, the only place youfind straight lines is in artificial things, like books and theories onleadership development. We've got to change that."

18. Scott Eblin, Next Level Blog: What I Learned About Leadership from the Dalai Lama.

Reason: "Seeing the Dalai Lama in person was a rare opportunity and one that exceeded my expectations. I really like this post because it does a nice job of capturing my experience of seeing him in person in his role as a political and spiritual leader. I also loved all the comments that readers left about their own direct and indirect experience with the Dalai Lama and the general sense of agreement that his approach to leadership would make a big difference in the world."

19. Meg Bear (submitted by Mark Bennett), TalentedApps: Ready now! Does Succession Planning backfire?

Reason: "This post encourages leaders to take a “big picture” view of succession planning and not get lost in the narrow, risk-averse view that it will just result in your talented people leaving. It got a lot of views, “likes”, and positive comments."

20. Dan McCarthy, Great Leadership: 10 Mistakes Every Leader Should Make (and learn from) before They Die.

Reason: "I had fun writing this one and it seemed to resonate with readers based on the amount of Twitter traffic. Being willing and able to admit your mistakes - and learn from them - is one of the most effective ways to develop as a leader."

Regular monthly submissions:

While that's it for our "Best of 2011" edition, I'm still getting posts from the old Blog Carnival site, which I can't seem to disable. Here's a handful that I thought were worth including:

Jim Taggart presents Are YOU an Authentic Leader? posted at ChangingWinds, saying, "We’ve heard statements that leaders are born. Others argue that leaders can be developed. Well, how about going back in time to hear from Aristotle: “From the moment of their birth, some are marked for subjugation, and others for command.” Well, that may not be all that helpful, especially when the general consensus now is that leaders can be developed."

Utpal Vaishnav presents You Don’t Need Your Own Business to Become an Entrepreneur posted at Utpal Vaishnav, saying, "You were born as an entrepreneur and you’re already an entrepreneur regardless of anything, no matter whether you run your own business or not."

Linda Fisher Thornton presents New Years 2012: Questions For Leaders posted at Leading in Context LLC.

Katie Sorene presents 10 Volunteer Programs to Improve Your Leadership Skills posted at Travel Blog - Tripbase, saying, "A selection of volunteer programs to improve your leadership skills including teaching orphans in Sri Lanka, elephant conservation in Thailand and coaching soccer in Cameroon."

Lisa Kohn presents Leadership lessons of a stomach bug posted at The Thoughtful Leaders Blog, saying, "How can a stomach virus possibly be a good thing? How can it yield inspiration for a thoughtful leadership lesson? Read on to see what I've learned from the stomach bug!"

S. Chris Edmonds presents Be A Values-Aligned Leader posted at Driving Results Through Culture, saying, "Blanchard's culture guru S. Chris Edmonds shares the best practices of values-aligned leaders."

Bob Lieberman presents The Sorcerer's Apprentice posted at Cultivating Creativity – Adaptive Leadership Strategies.

Alicia Arnold presents Three Things Strategy Isn’t posted at Daily Creativity.

10 BIG Development Goals for Leaders for 2012

2011-12-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

The end of the year is typically a time spent scrambling to do all the things you need to get done but still haven't finished. However, it’s also a time to reflect on our accomplishments and think about what we want to achieve for the New Year. That includes individual development goals.

In a business context, individual development goals should be closely aligned with your short and long term job responsibilities. Each and every person’s situation is different, so there is no one-size-fits-all development plan.

However, in the realm of leadership development, there are a handful of things a leader could do that have the potential to be truly *transformational, life-altering, and help to create a whole new worldview.

I’m not talking about reading a book, taking a course, doing some networking, or fine-tuning some aspect of your current skillset.

No, these are the big, hairy, audacious, goals (BHAGs). The ones that are high risk, require a big investment of time, cause you to break out in a sweat, and have the potential to transform the way you lead.

No one should take on any more than 2-3 of these each year. In fact, you might only do one of each of these in a lifetime. So on one hand, don’t take any of these lightly – they require a big commitment. On the other hand, maybe it’s time to stop putting it off and take the leap?

Marshall Goldsmith says one of the biggest regrets old people have with their lives isn’t their failures – it’s that they didn’t at least try to pursue their goals.

1. A complete career change.
Career-wise, this is the granddaddy of development moves. We’re not talking about just changing companies but doing the same thing – this is about leaving what you’ve comfortable with – and good at – for something brand new.
A lot of people do this out of necessity or perhaps out of dissatisfaction with what they’re doing, and those are good reasons. In this case, it’s about changing for the sake of learning something completely new and growing.
Sure, no one likes to start all over again at the bottom – but perhaps there’s something out there that would allow you to use 40-60% of what you’ve already learned, and provide an opportunity to learn something new for the other 40-60%?

2. A job change.
While not as high risk or high developmental impact as a career change, switching to a new company, or even division within a big company, offers the opportunity to apply what you know in an entirely new context. It could involve new people, markets, customers, products, tools, and processes, all of which are opportunities to learn and develop.

3. A geographic move.
This one sometimes goes hand-in-hand with a job or career change. Learning to adapt in a strange new world can be scary, yet incredibly rewarding. I’m awestruck when I think of what it’s like to be an immigrant.
If you’re not ready for this, try a short-term expat assignment. Talk to others that have done it, you may find out it’s not as bad as you think it could be.
And sorry, no, a vacation doesn’t count. Although I can’t tell you how many people I’ve met that have never traveled more than 100 miles from where they were born, like Jim Carrey’s character in The Truman Show. In that case, it could be transformational.

4. Volunteer.
Join a non-profit board, committee, organization, or just spend a day helping those less fortunate. You’ll learn about courage, determination, inspiration, and hope, both from those you are helping and from the die-hard volunteers you’ll work with.

5. Take on a “Greater than Yourself” project. I learned about this from Steve Farber, who authored a book by the same name. The idea is to pick someone – sort of a mentee – but instead of just offering a little mentoring advice to bring them along to your level – make a long-term commitment to help that person become even better than you. If every leader did this for just one person, we’d never have to worry about doing succession planning.

*Note: “Transformational” is really in the eye of the beholder. If you move or change jobs every year, then after a while, the impact becomes less transformational. It can become just a superficial change and loses its developmental impact.

Less transformational, but still with the potential to be transformational:

6. Go back to school.
If you never got that high school, Associate, Bachelor, Master, or PhD degree, and have regrets, then how about making 2012 the year to get started? For adults, going back to school can be a HUGE mountain to climb. However, it’s often that first step that’s the hardest. Nowadays, there are more ways than ever to get a degree. If you’re interested, make an appointment with an admissions counselor, or attend an information session.
Full disclosure: I work at a university, but I’ve always been a proponent of continuing education for adults.

7. Find a mentor and/or hire a coach.
Find a leader that you admire and ask if he/she will be a mentor for you. People often assume that highly successful people probably always have a lot of mentees, or they’re too busy. That’s usually not the case, in fact, I can’t think of a single example of anyone who asked and was flat out told “no”. If anything, the mentor is usually flattered, and all too willing to help. Go ahead - pick the person who you think is “the best” at what you want to get good at – and just ask. The worst that could happen is you’ll prove me wrong – and you can then move on to your second choice. (-:

Hiring a professional coach is another alternative, or can complement a mentor. Yes, they can be expensive – but a good one can ask questions and challenge you in a way that unlocks insight and hidden potential. If you’re lucky your company might pay for it, but I’m also beginning to see some more affordable coaching models being marketing to non-executives. Buyers beware – ask for references, check credentials, and interview a few.

8. Take on a strrrrreeetch project.
Instead of a career or job change, identify a project where the stakes are high, has “home run” potential, it would be new to you, yet with a solid development plan and a lot of hard work, you can be successful. If you own a pizza shop, it could be adding a new menu of subs or opening a second shop. Think new products, new processes, new customers, fixing big problems, or taking on a long-standing relationship problems. No pain, no gain. Imagine what the line on your resume would read a year from now, then go make it happen.

9. Attend an intensive leadership development program.
By “intensive”, I mean a total immersion program. It should be at least 5 days, with at least one assessment, feedback (with at least one high quality assessment), coaching, an opportunity to apply what you’ve learned with a real-life, high risk, high reward project, and guided reflection (often called “Action Learning” programs). These programs, if well designed and run, can create a condensed, alternate reality, giving participants the chance to learn and take personal risks in a somewhat safe environment.

10. Get in shape.
I saved the most controversial for last. What does getting in shape have to do with becoming a better leader, or more successful, or more productive, or even smarter? Well, as it turns out, the research is overwhelming and compelling – exercise will do all of the above, as well as all of the obvious health benefits. If you don’t believe me, take a look at Harvard M.D. John Ratey’s website and book, Spark (I saw him speak recently). Amazing stuff. - I guarantee you’ll be motivated to finally drop that extra 10 pounds and start riding your bike to work.

How about you? What do you think of the list? What have been your most transformational leadership development experiences?

Developing Future Leaders – It’s Imperative Not to Wait!

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

Guest post by Great Leadership regular contributor Beth Armknecht Miller:

Why is it important to develop future leaders within your company? Continuity of company culture, labor shortages, and an unexpected death of a senior manager are just a few important reasons.

In his book, Built to Last, Jim Collins describes the very successful succession planning process that GE’s CEO, Reginald Jones, took to find a new CEO. The process involved 96 candidates over seven years before Jones narrowed the candidates down to a single successor: Jack Welsh.

GE’s commitment to the succession process not only identified Jack Welsh, but all of his predecessors as well. These leaders were visionaries and change agents – an important, ongoing part of GE’s culture.

While you may not currently be in need of a successor, have you at least identified some potential candidates? Who within your organization has the potential to succeed you? And how long will it take before they are prepared to take your seat?

Challenges for Mid-Market Companies

Unlike GE, mid-market companies generally don’t have 96 candidates in the succession planning process queue, and a seven year process may be overkill. At the same time, many mid-market companies often wait until it is too late to successfully identify and develop their next CEO. Potential candidates may leave their current company to grow with another company before they are formally identified for succession opportunities. The very worst scenario involves a candidate leaving for a competitor who promises them increased responsibilities and leadership development opportunities that their current company failed to provide.

Another challenge for mid-market companies is their lack of a structured management training program for current and future leaders as found in many Fortune 500 companies.

Redefining Succession Planning for Mid-Market Companies

The succession planning process should start with you, your organization’s leader, and your talent management or human resources department. Work with this department to create a list of critical success factors and specific job requirements. Identify all must-have experience and skill sets as well as the nice-to-haves. If you don’t have people internally with these skills set, bring in a consultant to assist in the succession planning process.

Once the job profile is complete, compare it to your candidates. Identify the top candidates and determine what leadership development skills they will require. Some of your leadership development process can be addressed through internal resources, while some may require external resources.

When your leadership development plan is finished, you should not wait to execute your plan as waiting can greatly impact your company’s future! The story below tells why it is imperative that you not wait to begin developing your future leader.

Start Now

I have had the unfortunate experience of working with a company whose leader did not act with a sense of urgency when it came to leadership development and he died unexpectedly. The company was left to a family member who wasn’t prepared to take control and lead the company. As a result, this past year has been a very difficult time for the new leader as well as for the employees.

Grooming future leaders is one of the most critical tasks for an organization’s leader. Without well-prepared future leaders, there is no future for the company. A good leadership development process will take time and commitment from you, and must be a high priority. Therefore, don’t let the company that you have spent so many years building, stagnate or fall apart because you didn’t properly prepare new leadership to run it for many years into the future.

Beth Armknecht Miller, of Atlanta, Georgia, is Founder and President of Executive Velocity, a leadership development advisory firm accelerating the leadership success of CEOs and business leaders. She is also a Vistage Chair and Executive Coach. She is certified in Myers Briggs and Hogan leadership assessment tools and is a Certified Managerial Coach by Kennesaw State University. Visit http://www.executive-velocity.com/ or http://executivevelocityblog.com/ or follow her on twitter at SrExecAdvisor.

How to Achieve Better Gender Balance through Succession Planning and Development

2011-12-19T09:49:00.000-05:00

According to research from the book Why Woman Mean Business, women now represent a majority of the talent pool, a majority of the market, and better gender balance in leadership yields better corporate performance. The data is compelling:

• TALENT: Women represent 60% of university graduates in Europe and North America

• MARKET: Women make 80% of consumer goods purchasing decisions in the US

• BETTER BOTTOM LINE:
- Companies with more women in leadership have a 35% higher return on equity
- Companies with more than three women on their corporate board have an 80% higher return on equity

However, according to 20-First’s 3rd Annual Global Gender Scorecard, 90% of Executive Committee positions are still filled by men, with only 10% by women.

In order to achieve better gender balance in the executive ranks, there are many ways to go about it, including:

1. Focus on representation;

2. Focus on leadership, i.e., change attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors of leaders

Both are equally important and go hand in hand.

Companies often will implement separate, often competing or conflicting strategies and goals. There’s a “Diversity” strategy driven from one office, and a succession planning and development strategy driven by another. From a manager’s view, it’s confusing.

One of the most effective ways to improve representation is through the integration of both.

It’s not that complicated to do, it just takes a boatload of commitment, most importantly, from the leader of an organization, along with the support of a strong HR leader.

At the risk of oversimplifying, here’s a 9 step process to improve gender balance through succession planning and development:

1. Train Leaders in the importance of gender balance.
This is an all-important first step; otherwise the rest could turn into a compliance exercise. Leaders need to understand the business case and practices that may be creating barriers, including their own biases and behaviors. Show them the research, engage them, and provide assessments, strategies and tools.

2. Establish metrics and goals.
There are two kinds of metrics – what I would call “end result”, or lagging metrics, i.e., percentage of female executives, managers, etc… and “activity”, or leading metrics. Many organizations just focus on the end game, often for compliance purposes, then wonder why there’s never any improvement. Instead, an organization could establish succession planning metrics, such as:

- Number of female candidates for key position succession plans

- Viability of candidates

It’s important to include “viability” (defined as approval by CEO and/or HR VP); otherwise, you could end up with lists of token candidates. Here’s an example of a 2X2 grid with both variables:

The vertical axis represents availability of successors (low to high), and the horizontal represents diversity of successors (low to high). A green score means an organization’s pool of successors for its key positions are 50% or greater female (and/or minority in this case), and more than 2/3 of them are viable.

3. Tie executive variable pay to both end result (representation) and activity (2X2 grid) metrics. 10% is a good percentage – enough to drive behavior, but not enough to overshadow other key business metrics.

4. Establish “Top 10 lists” for every major business unit.
It’s expected that as an organization begins this journey, managers will most likely be either “yellow” or “red” for the first few years. So, you need to look at the next level down for feeder pools. One way is to have each organization identify its 10 top females, minorities, non-U.S., or any other category you are trying to improve. “Top 10” is a relative metric, so there should be no incomplete lists. If top 10 lists are weak, then keep digging deeper, all the way to the entry level recruiting process if necessary.

5. Allocate development resources to female candidates.
An example of this would be to mandate that ___% of slots in an organizations executive development program is filled with female succession candidates or Top 10 lists (if appropriate). Yes, this may sound exactly like a quota – and it is – but’s it’s the only way you’ll ever begin to make any progress on improving overall representation. It also has the side benefit of slowly beginning to change the culture, as diverse participants begin to shape the thinking, attitudes, and behaviors of others that wouldn’t have normally had the opportunity to interact with those that are “different”. For example, diverse “action learning” teams often produce the most creative solutions.

6. Every successor should also have an individual development plan (IDP) and a senior level mentor.
Engage high potentials in career and development discussions. It’s important not to assume that every identified “high potential” wants to be an executive. Mentors can help paint a realistic picture of the role, advantages, disadvantages, and implications.

7. Ensure that at least one diverse candidate (internal or external) is interviewed for every executive opening.
Yes, it’s the “Rooney Rule” (established in the NFL in 2003) – and it’s had mixed results – but in general, has had a positive impact. The idea is to cast a wider net, and in the process, help identify barriers that may be getting in the way of attracting and hiring the best talent.

8. Regular use of public reward and recognition.
Tying succession goals into pay isn’t enough. In order to change behaviors, there needs to be visible examples of diversity champions being rewarded and recognized. An annual CEO’s award can be very motivational. Of course, public hangings are also effective, but I’d rather focus on more positive ways to change behaviors. Otherwise, your efforts can begin to feel like a witch hunt.

9. Support newly promoted or hired candidates.
Transition to the next level or a new organization is a difficult process. It’s especially challenging for females and minorities, who could be perceived as being undeserving, especially if their development was accelerated. All of these efforts could go up in smoke if these rising stars, full of potential and promise, fail. One way to provide support is by providing the services of an executive coach for the first 6-12 months, or through participation in an external executive development program specially designed to address these unique challenges.

If you buy into the business case for achieving greater gender balance in the executive ranks (and I do), then using succession planning and development can be a powerful way to achieve that goals.

Your thoughts?

Covering all the Bases

2011-12-15T15:21:00.000-05:00

Guest post by Paul Eccher:

On October 31, 2011, baseball legend Tony La Russa announced his retirement as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals. Announced just three days after the Cardinals won the World Series, La Russa’s retirement follows an impressive, 16-year career with the Cardinals and 33-season career in Major League Baseball (MLB). He was also the third winningest manager in MLB history—behind only Connie Mack and John McGraw.

You don’t have to be a Cardinals fan (or even a baseball fan) to appreciate the success and longevity of La Russa’s career. He had what all leaders strive to and rarely attain—the perfect balance of “hard” and “soft” skills. Amid today’s fast-paced nature of business, it’s more common for leaders to focus on their “hard” skills—the level of education they’ve earned, the number of sales they’ve secured and the overall financial impact they’ve made on their company—than their “soft” skills, or people skills. It’s a trend that’s been emphasized repeatedly in media headlines: as businesses continue to do “more with less,” employees are experiencing less job satisfaction and engagement as their employers focus solely on company analytics instead of developing their people.

However the “soft” skills—relationship building, empathy and the ability to influence and inspire—are vital to building a highly engaged and successful environment, whether on a team or within the workplace. Although La Russa mastered the “hard” skills (he earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Florida State University College of Law, studied extensively in preparation for games and executed intricate game plans), what made him truly successful were his “soft” skills. One renowned player, Albert Pujols, said La Russa “is not only my manager; he’s like a daddy to me.” Never lacking respect amongst his players, La Russa inspired his players to do what they didn’t think they were capable of, often transforming discouraged players into local heroes. In addition, he was constantly protective of his team and would not back down from the competition or detractors in the press, telling one reporter “I’m not saying I’m smarter than you, but I know our club a lot better than you do.”

How many of today’s bosses have their employees’ backs the way La Russa did? How many leaders inspire those around them to do what they didn’t think was possible? According to a recent Corporate Executive Board (CEB) study featured in the Wall Street Journal that aggregated data of more than 4,300 exit interviews, three-quarters of departing employees would not recommend their previous employer to others.

Amid today’s uncertain economic times, it’s important to have advanced degrees, certifications and technical skills to perform well on the job. However, leaders can make themselves and their companies stand apart by mastering the “soft” skills—the skills necessary to connect with people on a deeper level to relate, inspire and create a positive work environment that fosters employee enjoyment, growth and productivity.

That is how La Russa commanded the respect of his players and left his mark as the third winningest coach in professional baseball. No matter what the profession, having the ability to continually plan and prepare while motivating and inspiring those around you, as La Russa did, adds up to a winning formula—both inside and outside of the ballpark.

Dr. Paul H. Eccher is the co-founder and principal of The Vaya Group , a Talent Management consultancy that applies science and precision to the art of talent assessment and development. He is also the co-author of Optimizing Talent: What Every Leader and Manager Needs to Know to Sustain the Ultimate Workforce.

Related posts: "It’s the Soft Stuff That’s Really the Hard Stuff"

and "Why Do Businesses and Leaders Fail?"

The Perils of Hitting “Reply All”

2011-12-13T15:25:00.001-05:00

By now you may have heard about the recruiter, Gary Chaplin, who lost his job for telling a job seeker off? Well, he didn’t just tell him off – he ripped him in an expletive-riddled email and accidentally copied 4000 fellow recruiters.

To make matters worse, Chaplin signed it using the name of another recruiter (Richard Vickers), and ripped another recruiter (Dan McCarthy, no relation) in the email. Yikes.

The job seeker, Manos Katsampoukas, sent his resume to 4000 recruiters politely asking for a position in finance or marketing. OK, granted, that’s not a very smart job-hunting strategy. But still, did he deserve the following response — in which Chaplin said he spoke for "all 4,000 people you have emailed" — "Please f*** off — you are too stupid to get a job, even in banking."

There are a lot of lessons to be learned by this unfortunate story, including:

1. Mass emailing your resume to thousands of recruiters doesn’t sound like a sound job hunting strategy. Better to cultivate relationships with a few in your specific industry well before you are looking for a job. In fact, doesn’t everyone hate mass emails (spam) in general? Although, there are companies that offer “resume distribution services”. Do people really use these and do they work?

2. Never forget what it’s like to be out of work and looking for a job. Many people only have to go through this once or twice in their lifetimes. They sometimes do naïve, stupid, or desperate things. Try to put yourselves in their shoes and show some compassion. Better yet, do what you can to help the person. You never know – what goes around, comes around. A friend of mine in the HR business took pride in how many of her friends she helped land jobs. When it came her turn to ask for help, people came out of the woodwork to help. She landed a new position within weeks.

3. Always assume anything you put in an a email could be shared with 4000 people. I’m sure we’ve ALL made one of these mistakes – I just did it last week. If you’ve got something sensitive to say, say it in person. Better yet, write it down, save it, read it the next day and realize how stupid it was, and delete it.

4. We all need to learn the difference between “reply” and “reply all”. Yes, they are right next to each, and sound similar, but come on – really? Having said that – mistakes happen – if someone does it, lighten up, you could be next.

Better yet, maybe the “reply all” key should be abolished? It’s just an accident waiting to happen.

5. Maybe it’s time the recruiting industry takes a good, hard look in the mirror? The industry in general doesn’t have the greatest reputation when it comes to integrity, ethics, and treating people with respect. Just read some of the comments in the story. I’m sure most in the profession are honorable professionals, but when a story like this surfaces such venom from so many people, you have to wonder.

6. Always assume anything you do in the digital world can be traced back to you. There’s no such thing as anonymity or privacy in cyberspace, even if you use a fake name.

7. When you make a lot of money and drive flashy sports cars, you get very little symphony. Although I have to hand it to Chaplin, he did admit it was a stupid mistake and apologized. Some would say he shouldn’t have even lost his job over it.

What do you think?

Thanks to my daughter, who works in pr/social media, for bringing this stuff to my attention. She helps keep me current. (-:

Ambiguity Breeds Mediocrity

2011-12-12T11:14:00.000-05:00

Guest post from Dave Mastovich on the importance of clear expectations:

I have a friend who leads a Human Resources Consultancy. He often uses the phrase: “Why don’t employees do what they are supposed to do?” to market his services. I have often told him that he should add “Why don’t bosses explain what they really want?” to the mix.

When it comes to getting things done with people, ambiguity breeds mediocrity. Employees and managers alike become frustrated when expectations are not met. The problem often arises because of a breakdown in communication. The more ambiguous goals and expectations are, the greater the chance for an average or worse outcome.

However, effective communication is a two way street.

In some cases, employees do not clearly understand goals and expectations and don’t take the time to clarify the situation with their boss. In other instances, employees are consciously or subconsciously comfortable with the ambiguity. They avoid clarity and are content to do what they think is necessary because when ambiguity exits, accountability is reduced or eliminated.

On the other hand, supervisors are often guilty of thinking they are on the same page as their team, when in reality they have not provided the necessary specifics to ensure success. Or they do not empower employees to think and make decisions that could improve outcomes.

Leaders need to provide clear direction and ensure clarity of expectations. They should talk openly with team members about what the outcome of the project should be, when it will be completed, and what employees should do if help is needed or when they hit a road block.

Managers should involve the employees in setting deadlines as well. Often, employees will offer a tighter deadline than the manager expected. If they ask for a later deadline, you at least gain an understanding of why they think more time is necessary and you find out sooner rather than later.

Ultimately, leaders should use a combination of communication tactics, rather than just a meeting, email or telephone call. Combining face-to-face and written correspondence gives team members the benefit of both verbal and non verbal communication, the chance to interact, and specific details in writing.

If you are the person receiving the instructions, you, too, have a responsibility to clearly define the expectations. Repeat back to the leader what you think is expected and obtain agreement on goals, expectations and action steps to be completed. Ask what you should do when you encounter a ‘bump in the road’ because you inevitably will.

Move off the path to mediocrity. Communicate clearly, reduce ambiguity and make a commitment to excellence.

David M. Mastovich, MBA is President of MASSolutions, Inc. and author of "Get Where You Want to Go: How to Achieve Personal and Professional Growth Through Marketing, Selling and Story Telling." For more information, visit www.massolutions.biz.

10 Ways to Act More Important Than You Really Are

2011-12-08T14:24:00.001-05:00

I have a gut feeling that this post is going to rub a few people the wrong way. Why? Because many, if not all of the items on the upcoming list are grounded in some degree of reality. Readers may point to any one of them and say “Hey wait a minute, I do that, and here’s why…”.

Many of them are come right from well-meaning articles on how to be more confident, smart or assertive. A few I’ve just observed myself. To a degree, following this advice is OK – as long as you don’t overdo it. Attempts do “act” important (or smart, or powerful, or whatever) will backfire and make you look like you have small dog syndrome (sds), especially when you don’t have the substance to back up your annoying little yips.

Improving your self-confidence is a perfectly OK development goals – leaders need to have a high degree of confidence, command skills, and presence. However, as my friend Scott Eblin points out, too much confidence, like any strength overdone, can turn start to look like arrogance or hubris.

So, if you’re more concerned about looking important than actually being important, then here’s 10 tips for you:

1. Never show up to a meeting on time.
Seriously, I’m not making this up. In fact, I just heard about someone that actually makes sure she always shows up at least 20 minutes late to any meeting. That way, people will know you’re important.

I can’t help but imagine how this belief plays out in meetings involving lots of important people. What do they do, all hide around the corner waiting to see who gives in first?

2. Name drop.
I’ve also heard this technique referred to as “citing your sources”. It’s a way to back up your opinions, look smart, and if you’re wrong, you can blame it on your sources.

3. Have the biggest chair in the office.
Corporate pecking orders are established by chair size: there’s the secretary’s chair, manager’s chair, and the big old fat executive’s chair. Just test it to make sure your feet can touch the ground. Complete your important office décor with a huge desk with little guest chairs facing the window and sun behind you.

4. Pose like a peacock.
There’s actually research to back this one up. Practicing those power poses can actually make men and woman feel more powerful. You know the type - they strut around like peacocks fanning their tails or chimpanzees puffing their chests to assert their hierarchical rank.

5. Have a lot of LinkedIn connections.
Link up with everyone you meet, or better yet, just send out invitations to strangers you’ve never me just to reach that important “500+ connections” badge. Heck, anyone with that many connections must be uber-important. Or a recruiter or salesperson. (-:

I’m waiting for LinkedIn to come up with a “5000+” designation.

6. Keep a lot of very important books or periodicals on your desk.
Any serious executive or executive-wannbe just has to have a copy of the WSJ or HBR under their arms at all times, right? Just be sure to wrinkle a dog-ear a few pages.

7. Talk really loud and don’t worry about listening.
My wife and I were waiting at the bar for our table last weekend and we had a chance to experience this first hand. I could only assume this guy was really important, because we and everyone around us could hear everything he had to say and the poor couple he was talking at never got a word in edgewise. Given we live in New Hampshire, it could have been a presidential candidate. (-:

8. Pretend you enjoy the arts.
Pronounce your fake appreciation of the arts in response to co-workers or friends that bring up last night’s episode of “Dancing with the Stars” or “The Middle”. To sound really important, you need to say it in a way that makes everyone else look like idiots.

9. Never answer your own phone, emails, or schedule your own appointments.
Yes, I know, there are some positions – like CEO and Governors – that have to have minions to handle this stuff for them. But for the rest of us, come on, if we're all on a conference call together, do we really need to have an assistant contact everyone to schedule a follow-up call? In these days of tech-savvy employees, I just find this to be so old school, but it’s still rampant. It's not that they can't - it's that they won't.

10. Use a lot of letters after your name.
Listing your credentials may be appropriate for certain professions – higher ed, doctors, accountants, or insurance agents – but please, do we really need to tell people we have a B.S., MBA, or every little certification we earned by taking one course and passing a test?

How about you? What are some other annoying ways people try to make themselves look important but when overdone come across as hopelessly arrogant?

The 2011 Global Top 25 Companies for Leaders

2011-12-06T15:57:00.001-05:00

Last month Aon Hewitt, The RBL Group and Fortune announced their Global Top Companies for Leaders list. It's been two years since the last list, not to be confused with the competing "Best Companies for Leaders" list sponsored by Businessweek and Hay Group.

I like to look below the hood of these rankings, to see if there's anything new to learn when it comes to leadership development. Sometimes I'll even call the person in charge of talent management. Is there some new silver bullet, some new magic formula that we can steal and replicate within our own companies?

Once again, the answer is no, not really. The companies that excel in leadership development do it better than the rest because they believe in it and take it seriously. They treat it as a strategic priority, spend a lot of time on it, provide meaningful developmental assignments to their high potentials, invest in it, and measure the heck out of their efforts to ensure its working.

I've always said if there was only ONE wish I could have when it came to leadership development it would be a CEO that was 100% committed to it. All the rest would then fall into place - even the most incompetent HR department couldn't screw it up if they tried. They couldn't, because they would be measured and held accountable.

One thing that's significant is that non-U.S. companies, like Hindustan Unilever are catching up. Only 13 out of 25 of the companies are U.S. based, compared to 17/25 two years ago. While it used to be emerging economies like China and India would turn to the U.S. and import their leadership development programs, now they are creating their own, in order to reflect their own cultural and market nuances.

Here's the full list:

1.IBM

2.General Mills, Inc.

3.The Procter & Gamble Company

4.Aditya Birla Management Corporation

5.Colgate-Palmolive Company

6.Hindustan Unilever

7.ICICI Bank Limited

8.McDonald's Corporation

9.Whirlpool Corporation

10.PepsiCo, Inc

11.General Electric Company

12.Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA)

13.Natura Cosmeticos S.A

14.Deere & Company

15.3M Company

16.Eli Lilly and Company

17.McKinsey and Company

18.L'Oreal

19.Unilever plc

20.Siemens AG

21.Intel Corporation

22.China Vanke Co., Ltd.

23.Wipro Ltd.

24.Bharti Aritel

25.Novartis AG

Any surprises?

The December Leadership Development Carnival Begins Today!

2011-12-04T06:45:00.001-05:00

The December Leadership Development Carnival is being hosted by my friends Becky Robinson and Kevin Eikenberry over at their Leadership and Learning blog. For this December edition, Kevin and Becky are breaking the Carnival up into multiple days - today through the rest of this week.

You can find the first installment here. Be sure to check back each day for the rest of the Carnival. I've had a sneak peek at a lot of the submissions, and I think you'll enjoy them.

Please met me know what you think of the new format too - if you like it, maybe we'll do it this way more often.

Ready, Set, Enable

2011-12-02T14:57:00.001-05:00

Guest post by Mark Royal and Tom Agnew, from Hay Group, regular contributors to Great Leadership:

The term “doing more with less” is being used increasingly liberally by organizations today. However, there are often gaping holes between what is asked and what is executed. In many cases, organizations fail to understand or recognize the detrimental effect their “do more with less” approach has on employees’ productivity and rising frustration levels.

The concept needs to be revolutionized.

For decades, managers have been told to “do more with less,” which they interpret as raising the bar on employee goals and expectations while spending less money. Employees typically receive the message as involving working longer hours or accomplishing more tasks without the support of extra resources.

This approach quickly builds frustration. More significantly, it wears down your most motivated and loyal employees. These are employees who want to succeed at their jobs, but feel that roadblocks and constraints are continually put in their way.

So how can leaders ask employees to “do more with less” without causing frustration? Instead of making vague statements, setting unrealistic goals, and expecting employees to do more without providing additional resources, leaders need to unleash the full potential in their employees.

We all know about the importance of engaging employees through motivational tactics, but engagement only moves employees so far.

The real answer lies in employee enablement. Managers must help to create work environments where employees are supported by processes and information that help them do their jobs efficiently; in turn, decreasing frustration and allowing for improved productivity.

How can leaders create a more enabling environment to increase productivity?

1. Create a culture of dialogue: Instead of relying on annual review time to discuss performance, managers must create a culture of open communication with their teams and continuously engage in conversations about goals and priorities to help employees focus on the highest value tasks throughout the year. When frustration is allowed to silently simmer, everyone loses.

2. Grant appropriate authority: It’s important for managers to provide employees with explicit decision-making authority, encourage them to come forward with innovative suggestions for improving the organization, and reinforce employee creativity by appropriately translating ideas into action.

3. Identify support gaps. A lack of support creates significant productivity issues. In order to avoid employee burnout, managers must ensure employees have the necessary resources to carry out their roles successfully.

4. Develop employees. In order to turn high-potential employees into high-performing members of an organization, companies must place a high value on job-related training. By offering programs for learning and development, organizations will get more out of their people.

These are just a few tactics that will help companies unleash the hidden potential in their people. What other strategies have you used to “do more with less?”

Mark Royal and Tom Agnew are principals in Hay Group’s employee-research division and co-authors of The Enemy of Engagement: Put an End to Workplace Frustration—and Get the Most From Your Employees (Amacom, 2011). Royal is based in Chicago and Agnew is based in New York.

10 Tips on How to Deliver a Great Concurrent Session

2011-11-30T11:36:00.001-05:00

Conferences are a great way to learn some new best practices, expand your network, and hopefully come away energized with lots of new ideas to implement back on the job.

There are usually two types of sessions at a conference – general sessions and concurrent sessions. The general sessions are the ones where you don’t have a choice, so everyone attends. Concurrent sessions are placed before and after the general sessions, to give participants the opportunity to pick and choose the sessions that best suit their interests. Sometimes, conference organizers set up their concurrent sessions in themed tracks.

In the pecking order of speakers, general session speakers, often referred to as “keynotes”, are the alpha dogs of speakers. They are the ones on the front page of the conference website and brochure, get to sit at a special table, and often get paid for their presentation. While there’s been plenty written about how to deliver a speech just like Steve Jobs, most of us will never have an opportunity to do a keynote.

There are far more opportunities to deliver at conferences as a concurrent speaker. While lower conference status than keynotes, there are still a lot of benefits. You usually get a free conference registration, get a special name badge, you get to share your expertise with others, and it makes it easier to meet people and network (“hey, Dan, I loved your presentation on how to use a nine-box”).

I’ve never been able to find much on how to deliver a great concurrent session, but I’ve done a fair number of them and learned by trial and error. I’ve also sat through enough outstanding and horrible ones to get a good sense of what works and what doesn’t.

So with that as a long-winded intro, here are 10 tips on how to deliver a great concurrent session:

1. Don’t oversell your expertise.
It’s assumed that if you’re asked, or if you submit a proposal to present, then you have deep expertise in some area that others can learn from. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. If you are asked to present on a topic that you would not feel comfortable in calling yourself an expert, than turn it down. If you don’t, participants will be disappointed; you’ll hurt your reputation, and be shunned at the networking receptions.

Tip: come up with a session title that has a little pizzaz, yet accurately describes your session.

2. Present – don’t “facilitate”.
When I hear a presenter open their session by saying something like “Well, I’m certainly no expert in this topic, but gee, I’ll bet we have a room full of expertise, and my job will be to create an environment for the next hour to share that knowledge” - I just want to set my hair on fire and run from the room. Don’t even grab a handout, just hustle down to your second choice and hope you can get a seat. I’ve seen professional trainers to this with good intentions. Yes, while participant involvement is a must in an all-day training program, in typical 60-90 minute concurrent session, participants have come to hear from YOU. If they were experts, they wouldn’t have come to your session. Please, no breaking the room up into groups to answer their own questions. I’m not saying a well-placed, quick 5 minute exercise isn’t a good idea; just don’t overdo it at the expense sharing your own expertise.

3. Know your audience.
Yes, “know your audience” is a presentation skills 101 cliché, but for some reasons, I’ve seen way too many concurrent session speakers not tailor their content to the needs of their audience. If I’m doing a session on succession planning for CPA firms, then I’m at least going to take the time to interview a few CPAs and look up some good accountant jokes. Not being paid is not an excuse for lazy preparation – your audience deserves nothing but your best.

4. it’s not a sales presentation.
I like to hear a little about the speaker’s background – it’s good for credibility and context. However, anything more than a few minutes begins to feel like an infomercial. I’m also OK with a quick mention of a book, website, or blog at the end, as long as it’s quick. I realize that at conferences, we are all selling something. Just let your tips and best practices do your selling for you, there will be plenty of time to hand out business cards and autograph books after the session.

5. Play nice with the conference planners.
Conference planners usually send speakers specific instructions, checklists, deadlines, and forms. Take the time to read them and comply with their requests. One of my pet peeves: speakers who don’t submit their presentation material in time to have it included in the conference notebook.

6. Show-up.
Please don’t tell me about your long flight or late night karaoke session at the bar – I don’t care. Suck it up, gulp down some coffee or an energy drink, and give me your best for 60-90 minutes. The presenter should never come across as more bored than the participants. Hey, I once drew the 7:00am track at a conference in Vegas – day three, no less! The handful of sleepy participants that showed up rated it as one of the conference’s highest rated sessions. Bring your A game, and nothing less.

Tip: Don’t stand behind the podium tethered to a microphone – request a lavalier, or lapel microphone, to give you the freedom to move around.

7. Save time for questions… at the end.
Plan – and rehearse your presentation to ensure there is time for 10-15 minutes for questions at the end. While a few questions are OK during the session, too many run the risk of satisfying a few at the expense of the many. If a participant asks a question that you know you’ll get to later in the presentation, don’t be afraid to say “Great question, and I plan to address that in about 10 minutes. If I don’t answer your question then, please let me know”.

Tip: The first few minutes are also critical - you need to convince participants why they shouldn't grab a handhout and bail on your session to head out to the pool to work on thier tans.

8. Arrive early and stay late.
Get to the room early to load your slides, check equipment, straighten out the room, and greet participants. Stick around after your presentation- these are often the particpants that have an individual question that they didn't want to bother the enitre group with. You should be honored that they are waiting around to ask you. If there is a line of participants waiting to talk to you, then you know your session hit the mark!

9. Get feedback.
Ask a few participants for feedback and make sure you get a copy of the evaluations from the conference planners. Even better if you can buddy up with another presenter to give each other feedback. If you're really brave, ask them to record it on your smart phone camera. Getting candid feedback is the only way I’ve learned not to repeat some bone-headed mistakes.

10. Enjoy yourself!
If you treat doing a presentation as if it’s a root canal, then your participants will feel your pain as well. Smile, laugh (at yourself), and enjoy your moment in the sun! If you’ve having fun and enjoying yourself, then chances are, participants will as well.

For a related post, see How to Rock as a Panelist.

How about you? Any dos and don’ts to share when it comes to doing a concurrent session?

5 Keys to Effectively Communicating Appreciation in the Workplace

2011-11-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

Guest post by Paul White:

As I travel around the country to consult for businesses and organizations, I hear the same message over and over—both from leaders and from their employees: “People are getting burned out. We have to do more work with less people, making do with the budget that we have,” or, “We need to do something to show our workers appreciation but funds are tight.” Burn-out is the common theme, as people in the workplace express that they are becoming more negative, cynical, and discouraged.

Research confirms that there are serious problems developing in the workplace today:

• 65% of workers say they have received no recognition or appreciation in the past 12 months.

• While 80% of large corporations have employee recognition programs, only 31% of their employees say they feel valued for doing good quality work.

• The #1 reason for recognition in most workplaces is longevity (how motivating is that?).

• Only 8% of employees feel their top management cares about them personally.

• 70% of employees are either disengaged or under engaged in their work.

• Yet only 21% of these workers are looking for work elsewhere, meaning approximately 50 % of the workforce are just passively enduring work they don’t enjoy.

The workplace environment needs to change for the better, and leaders can change the course. Unfortunately, many managers’ efforts to appreciate their staff are misguided and wind up being a waste of time and effort. Why? Because they are not built upon the core principles necessary for appreciation to be communicated effectively.

Make your praise specific and personal. The most common mistake organizations and supervisors make is communicating appreciation that is general and impersonal. Sending blast emails with the message, “Good job. Way to go, team!” has no specific significance for the individual who stayed late to get the project completed. Use your colleague’s name and state specifically what he or she does that makes your job easier.

Realize that action can be more impactful than words for some employees. Some people (seemingly, often men) do not value verbal praise, holding to the mentality that words are cheap. For these people, compliments are viewed with disbelief and skepticism, and sometimes verbal praise is understood as an act of manipulation. Actions are more effective to show appreciation for these individuals, such as spending time with them at the office or helping to get a task done.

Use the language of appreciation valued by the recipient. Not everyone likes public recognition or social events. One leader told me, “You can give me an award but you’ll have to shoot me first before I’ll go up and get it in front of a crowd.” And for many introverts, an invitation to attend a staff appreciation dinner is more like torture than a reward for doing a good job. They may prefer getting a gift card for a bookstore and staying at home and reading. Find out what your co-workers or employees value and communicate in that language.

Separate affirmation from constructive criticism or instruction. If you want the positive message to be heard loud and clear, don’t follow your affirmation with a “Now, if you would only…” message. Don’t offer a compliment followed by a criticism of how the individual could do better. They will only remember the constructive criticism, and may not even hear the positive.

Be genuine. Don’t try to fake it or overstate your appreciation (“You are the best administrative assistant in the free world!”). People can sense when appreciation is obligatory or contrived.

In my business consulting practice, I have seen these simple principles of appreciation successfully improve workplace environments previously suffering from a bad case of burn-out. Appreciation has the ability to transform any team—whether in public schools, medical facilities, manufacturing firms, universities, restaurants or financial firms. Give it a go – it is worth it!

Author Bio:
Dr. Paul White is a business consultant and psychologist, and is the coauthor of The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace with Dr. Gary Chapman. For more information, go to http://www.appreciationatwork.com/.

About the Book: The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace applies the “love language” concept of New York Times bestseller, The 5 Love Languages, to the workplace. This book helps supervisors and managers effectively communicate appreciation and encouragement to their employees, resulting in higher levels of job satisfaction, healthier relationships between managers and employees, and decreased cases of burnout. Ideal for both the profit and non-profit sectors, the principles presented in this book have a proven history of success in businesses, schools, medical offices, churches, and industry.

Leaders Should Be Competent – But Not Too Competent

2011-11-22T16:39:00.001-05:00

Guest post from David C. Baker. Does a manager/leader need to be really good at what they manage? I would say for some professions, like sales, they do. What do you think?

After interviewing more than 10,000 employees at 600+ companies, you start noticing patterns in effective leaders. Recognizing these patterns is a crucial step for first-time (and long-time) managers, as I’ve written about in Managing (Right) for the First Time.

One of the more surprising patterns is the level of competence that a leader should possess. Leaders only need a basic level of competence. Just enough to understand the issues and evaluate talent.

Leaders should not be the most technically competent of the group they are leading. If they are, it may be a sign that they have hired helpers instead of experts. It could also mean that they were promoted for the wrong reasons. They might have been a very good “doer,” but perhaps not the best “manager.”

There is one thing leaders should be competent at: leading. That is their job. Leaders should know just enough to be dangerous about the subject they are managing. How can you know if you’ve crossed the boundary into over-competence? Ask yourself:

• Is there anyone you are managing that you don’t trust to do something they have been hired to do? If so, why?

• When you are reviewing work, do you spend more time nitpicking or focusing on the big picture?

• When you are interviewing new talent, are you actively seeking out people that are smarter than you in a given area?

Let’s face it: all over the world you can find well-run companies whose leaders are managing others who are far more competent than they are. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A well-run company is a well-run company.

Author Bio
David C. Baker lived in Guatemala until he was 18 and now lives in Nashville, TN. In addition to owning a thriving management consulting practice, ReCourses, David is a frequent speaker and author. His work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Inc. magazine, BusinessWeek, and dozens of other national publications. He enjoys travel, racquetball, photography, and flying airplanes and helicopters.

Learn to “Act” like a Leader

2011-11-15T16:28:00.001-05:00

Like it or not, “presence” is an important competency for any leader. You know it when you see it – a leader with presence exudes self-confidence, is self-assured, can be passionate about their beliefs, commands attention, communicates well, and makes people around them feel better and more self-assured.

Regardless of where you stand on the presidential candidates, it’s clear that Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan had it, while Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter did not. Presidential presence or lack of is often exposed in the harsh glare of televised debates, and as Richard Nixon found out in the 1960 presidential elections, it can make or break a candidate.

One of the reasons Reagan had such a strong stage presence was that he was trained as an actor. Leading executive development programs have long been incorporating acting lessons into their programs and/or follow-up coaching.

Don’t get me wrong – leadership isn’t about being phony, or misrepresenting yourself. Authenticity is even more important, as people won’t follow someone they don’t believe. However, it’s a shame when a lack of stage presence gets in the way of a potential leader’s other strengths and ideas.

Given everyone may not want to take the time or spend the money to take acting lessons, here are five acting techniques you can begin to work on to improve your leadership presence:

1. Pay attention to your “entrance”. People form immediate and lasting impressions based on how you enter a room, your physical characteristics, and the first few words that come out of your mouth. Think about the impression you want to leave people with, and create a vision for your entrance. Will it leave the impression you want to create? Shaking hands (firmly) and introducing yourself to each person (with a smile) in the room is a great way to connect with people and create that instant, lasting impression.

2. Delivery of your “lines”. Pay attention to your verbals (volume, tone, speed, choice of words, articulation) as well as your non-verbals (gestures, posture, facial expressions, movements). Your delivery needs to support and align with your message, or people won’t hear what you have to say.

3. Know your lines. Smooth, articulate delivery won’t help if you don’t know your subject matter. You need to be confident, knowledgeable, and really know what you’re talking about, or you’ll lose credibility. Don't ever let this happen to you!

4. Engage your audience. Actors know how to connect and relate to their audience. You feel like inviting them into your living room to have a beer or a cup of coffee. Engaging your audience means inviting them to participate, asking questions, listening, and making them feel good about their involvement.

5. Exit, stage left. Knowing how to leave is almost as importance as your entrance. Remembering people’s names, their questions or concerns, summarizing follow-up commitments, re-emphasizing your key messages, and your physical posture are all important components of a strong exit. You want to be seen riding off into the sunset, not slipping out of the room like you just committed a crime.

Are there any actors out there? What other stage skills could aspiring leaders add to their repertoire?

Multi-Tasking: Is It Worth It?

2011-11-10T15:47:00.001-05:00

Here's a guest post from one of my regulars, Beth Armknecht Miller. It's great advice - what a simple yet powerful way to improve your leadership effectiveness and relationships!

Multi-Tasking: Is It Worth It?

You see it at work. You drop by an employee’s workspace to discuss a current project and she continues to work on the computer while you are having the discussion. How do you feel as the person continues to “multi-task”?

Alternately, you are at home and your spouse is in the kitchen preparing dinner or loading the dishwasher. You start a conversation with him or her and they continue on with their task at hand while conversing with you. Did they really understand what you said? Did they really hear you?

So, you do see the behavior. Do you also find yourself part of this multi-tasking phenomenon? Multi-tasking, for many people in this ever changing and demanding world, has become a badge of pride. I can’t tell you how many executives I have worked with who actually believe that multi-tasking increases their productivity.

It Doesn’t Increase Productivity

Yet, research shows just the opposite. Back in 2001, in the article "Executive Control of Cognitive Processes in Task Switching," found in the Journal of Experimental Psychology - Human Perception and Performance, Vol 27. No.4, Joshua S. Rubinstein of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and David E. Meyer and Jeffrey E. Evans of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan conducted a study which “revealed that for all types of tasks, subjects lost time when they had to switch from one task to another. Because time costs increased with the complexity of the tasks, it took significantly longer to switch between more complex tasks. Time costs were also greater when subjects switched to tasks that were relatively unfamiliar.”

In a 2007 New York Times article, Jonathan B. Spira, an analyst at the business research firm Basex, estimated that extreme multitasking costs the U.S. economy $650 billion a year in lost productivity.

And a recent (September 2009) article from the Harvard Business School (HBS) references another study from Stanford University that supports the 2001 study. This article also suggests that while single-tasking is probably not totally practical in the 21st century, we should instead consider focusing on the value of each task, rather than focusing on the number of tasks to be completed.

Multi-Tasking Effects on Interpersonal Relationship

And even if you don’t believe this scientific evidence which shows that multi-tasking does not save you time, think about the other effects it has. What message are you sending to the people with whom you are multi-tasking? They probably wonder what is more important than the discussion they are trying to have with you. They may even think that you are just being rude.

I agree with the HBS conclusion that it is difficult to move to single-tasking, BUT only when the multi-tasking does not involve interpersonal communications with another individual.

So how can you change your multi-tasking behavior when you are confronted with someone wanting your attention?

Set aside time during each day when you will not multi-task. At this time focus on only one task or one person. When someone approaches you for a conversation and you are in a time crunch, let the individual know either, that you only have a specific amount of time to speak due to a work-related deadline, or offer them the opportunity to come back at the specific time you have set aside each day for single-tasking. This is the time when you can give them your undivided attention. However, if you do have time to speak with them when they first approach you, then turn away from your computer and put your PDA and cell phone on silent so you aren’t tempted to multi-task.

Giving your employees, team members, family, and friends your undivided attention during an important conversation will build stronger relationships by increasing understanding, decreasing stress, and increasing respect. Managing multi-tasking will also increase your productivity and will model appropriate behavior to other employees. With these benefits in mind, what’s keeping you from starting to manage your multi-tasking behavior?

Beth Armknecht Miller, of Atlanta, Georgia, is Founder and President of Executive Velocity, a leadership development advisory firm accelerating the leadership success of CEOs and business leaders. She is also a Vistage Chair and Executive Coach. She is certified in Myers Briggs and Hogan leadership assessment tools and is a Certified Managerial Coach by Kennesaw State University. Visit http://www.executive-velocity.com or http://executivevelocityblog.com or follow her on twitter at SrExecAdvisor.

The November 2011 Leadership Development Carnival

2011-11-06T08:10:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the November 6, 2011 edition of leadership development carnival!

There's no theme this month, no cute nicknames, no commentary, just a straightforward list of 45 of the best posts submitted for your reading pleasure. Actually, it's supposed to be a beautiful Fall day here in New England, and the Carnival host is anxious to head over to the Maine seacoast for some seafood with Mrs. Great Leadership, so something had to give. The fried clams won.

I've had readers ask "Why so many? Could you pare it down for us?". I actually do, the ones that make the cut are all relevant, recent, and looked interesting to me at least - about 50% of the submitted posts on average. I always include the regulars, those that have been submitting posts for years and I know they will come for us. With each edition, there's always a handful of new contributors, and I like to give them some exposure.

Honestly, I don't expect most readers would ever try to read them all. It's meant to be more of a menu - organized in a way that you can pick and choose based on author, blog name, subject title, and a "teaser" line if the author provided one. Hmmm, do I go for the clam strips, the lobster roll, chowdah, or all three? When in doubt, try 'em all!

We'll kick off the Carnival with posts from last month's host, Lynn Dessert, presenting Leading with your Strengths posted at Elephants at Work;

and next month's host, Kevin Eikenberry, presenting Four Steps to Making a Complex Decision posted at Leadership and Learning with Kevin Eikenberry, saying, "As leaders, we need to be decisive and forward-moving. This post offers four steps you can try when making a complex decision."

Anne Perschel presents Bold Because You Can Lead. Humble Because You Did Not Create the Leader posted at Germane Insights, saying, "Can a leader be bold and humble at the same time? I think so. In fact, I think it's what's called for. Here's why and how."

Gwyn Teatro presents How to Make Performance Appraisals Unnecessary posted at You're Not the Boss of Me.

Tanveer Naseer presents Are Your Employees Mad As Hell and Not Going to Take It Anymore? |posted at TanveerNaseer.com.

Wally Bock presents The Joy of Helping posted at Three Star Leadership, saying "The best bosses revel in helping others succeed".

Mark Stelzner presents Two Easy (And Legal) Ways to Gather Competitive Intel posted at Inflexion Point.

Michael Lee Stallard presents Develop the Heart of a Champion posted at Michael Lee Stallard.

William Matthies presents Instead, How About . . . posted at Business Wisdom: Words to Manage By, saying, "Part of executive development is recognizing the development that has already occurred."

Guy Farmer presents Soft Skills Training and Foundation Building posted at Unconventional Training.

Jennifer Miller presents Tag-Team Workplace Coaching posted at The People Equation saying "This is a story that shows that sometimes the best workplace coaching comes from someone other than a person’s boss".

Janna Rust presents Procrastination and Productivity posted at Purposeful Leadership, saying, "What are you procrastinating with right now? Have you ever thought about how it affects you? Read on to learn how procrastination might be killing your productivity."

John R. Turner presents Lewin and Historical Traces to Change Management posted at JohnRTurner_HPT_resource.

Linda Fisher Thornton presents Leaders & Social Media: 5 Reasons to Engage posted at Leading in Context LLC.

Bob Lieberman presents The Can-Do Attitude posted at Cultivating Creativity – Developing Leaders for the Creative Economy.

Jesse Lyn Stoner presents Be the Boss You?d Like to Have posted at Jesse lyn Stoner Blog.

Jim Taggart presents The Rise of Tiger Business Women posted at ChangingWinds, saying, "At present rates, it will take about 150 years before women and men are equally likely to reach middle management. And a century and a half is an eyeblink compared with the eternity it would take to achieve this benchmark in senior management"

S. Chris Edmonds presents Three Steps to a Bully-Free Workplace posted at Driving Results Through Culture

Mike Henry Sr. submitted Leaders: Your emotions are contagious - Lead Change Group posted at Lead Change Group Blog, saying, "Author Christina Haxton makes a great case for how a leader's emotions affect the entire team. She also provides a practical 4-step process to make a change in your attitude."

Bret L. Simmons presents Inner Work Life posted at Bret L. Simmons.

Mary Jo Asmus presents Letting Go of Your Need to be Right posted at Mary Jo Asmus.

David Burkus presents Freedom to Fail posted at LeaderLab, saying, "this post explores how good leaders give their team freedom to fail."

Sharlyn Lauby presents Abdicating Your Leadership Role posted at hr bartender, saying, "There's a big difference between delegating and abdicating."

Jane Perdue presents Go ahead - try something new! posted at Get Your Leadership BIG On!

Ben Brabyn presents Leadership as storytelling - how narratives bond teams posted at Ben Brabyn, saying, "How leaders can use storytelling to bond high performing teams."

Art Petty presents Art’s Weekly Leadership Message: Step Up to Cure Effective Dialogue Deficit Disorder posted at Management Excellence

Guy Harris presents Three Power Phrases to Disarm a Verbal Aggressor posted at Guy Harris: The Recovering Engineer, saying, "How do you respond to coworkers or colleagues when they are verbally aggressive? Here are three phrases that might help."

Heather Stagl presents Six Roles of a Leader During Change posted at Enclaria LLC.

Michael Cardus presents Planning; Nothing Magical Just Your Work posted at Create-Learning Team Building & Leadership Blog, saying, "Within all parts of your work YOUR knowledge and thinking must be part of the plan. No technology or rote process can give you the “correct” plan – BUT a solid process for planning can guide you to the best plan for your team and you. A plan is a judgment about the best way to go about achieving an intended goal."

John Hunter presents Rethinking or Moving Beyond Deming Often Just Means Applying More of What Dr. Deming Actually Said posted at Curious Cat Management Improvement Blog, saying, "This post takes a look at how Dr. Deming's ideas apply to management issues today."

Eric Pennington presents The Role of the Corporate Rebel posted at Epic Living - Leadership Development Career Management Training Executive Life Coaching Author, saying, "In this post, Eric Pennington, articulates the importance of the corporate rebel and how they should be imbraced. The post also points to the brilliant work of Lois Kelly."

Miki Saxon presents Entrepreneurs: Responses to “What Do You Say?” posted at MAPping Company Success, saying, "Longer term focus or more expedient approach? Although participants were all startup founders the discussion and conclusions are applicable to any manager who hires."

David Zinger presents The 10 Things Managers Must Do to Increase Employee Engagement posted at Employee Engagement Zingers, saying, "Very popular post on 10 actions based on evidence that managers can take to increase employee engagement"

Nick McCormick presents Managers, Brainsteer Your Way to Breakthrough Ideas posted at Joe and Wanda - on Management, saying, "Managers are always on the look out for new ideas. Shawn Cyne, Author of Brainsteering, tells us to forget the brainstorming. It’s much more effective to direct our creative energy by Brainsteering. Listen in to the Management Tips podcast find out more."

Adi Gaskell presents Keeping in touch with ex companies posted at Adi Gaskell says..., saying, "An article on the importance for both ex-employees and their previous employer of keeping in touch through corporate alumni networks."

Erin Pavlina presents How To Handle Public Criticism posted at Erin Pavlina - Spiritual Wisdom for Conscious People.

Utpal Vaishnav presents Know how to walk first, running comes later. posted at Utpal Vaishnav, saying, "If the piece of music isn’t right, it doesn’t matter what else you do, you cannot perform in the live show. Practice matters. More important is: right kind of practice."

Dana Theus presents Business Leaders – What Don?t Your Employees Tell You? posted at Reclaiming Leadership, saying, "If you're not hearing the truth from your employees, who are you hearing it from? To get them to speak the truth, be willing to hear it."

Lahesha Williams presents 8 Tips on Improving Your Chances for a Promotion posted at Career Help For Christians, saying, "It's never too early to think about promotion. In today's job market you need to be ambitious and driven if you don't want to get pushed out by others who spot gaps that could have been filled by you."

Lakshman Rajagopalan presents What can you do about a culture of Mistrust… posted at Learning Curves.

Lyn Boyer presents Healing the Wounds of Change posted at LynBoyer.net, saying, "this blog deals with what leaders can do to recognize and deal with fear of and resistance to change."

Henry Mukuti presents 5 Qualities of leaders and motivators part 1 posted at standout tall and be counted.

Sean Glaze presents What Emergency Brake Does Your Team Need To Let Go Of? posted at Lead Your Team, saying, "Team leadership Involves helping your team to identify the baggage that they need to let go of in order to become more productive together..."

Lisa Kohn presents There is no try, only do. There is no do, only be. posted at The Thoughtful Leaders Blog, saying, "How many of us have heard, "There is no try, only do"? Lisa Kohn of Chatsworth Consulting Group adds one more element to that famous phrase and talks about the importance of "BE" instead of "DO"."

Rebecca Kearley presents This assault on workers rights will kill innovation | Professional Manager posted at Professional Manager.

Anadi Upadhyaya presents Is there a magic pill to fix behavioral issues at work? posted at TalentedApps, saying, "Just having a right prescription is not enough until you put it into action."

Nick Thacker presents Productivity 101: Every Time You Sit Down, Make Something Happen posted at Nick Thacker, saying, "A simple concept for getting more done in the day-to-day life of a business professional."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Leadership Development Carnival using the carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on the blog carnival index page.

10 Reasons NOT to do Succession Planning

2011-11-04T16:58:00.000-04:00

Succession planning is the systematic assessment and identification of individuals to fill key leadership positions that may or will open up sometime in the future. It’s otherwise known as “what do we do if so and so gets hit by a bus or wins the lottery”.

I’ve listened to speakers and authors say that it’s imperative that every organization do succession planning. But should they? I can think of at least 10 reasons why you should not, starting with…..

1. You have a high performing organization with a deep bench of talent.
While I’ve actually never talked to a CEO or HR VP that was fortunate to be in this position, but in theory, it’s possible, right? I hope there aren’t too many of these, or I’ll be out of a job.

2. It’s not on your top ten list of business of business priorities or top five list of HR priorities.
Succession planning (and development) takes a lot of effort and commitment in order to generate a worthwhile ROI. A half-assed, watered down check-off-the-boxes effort will actually do more harm than just not doing anything at all. Organizations can only focus on a handful of critical priorities at any one time. That’s why CEOs and HR VPs get paid the big bucks, to figure out what the right priorities are for any given business strategy and timeframe.

3. The CEO is not committed and does not own it.
Sort of an off-shoot of #2, however, the difference is, succession planning is on the list but the CEO doesn’t really buy into it. You’ll get the usual lip service (“people are our most important asset”), but when the rubber hits the road, it’ll be a lot of smoke and mirrors with little substance.

4. You don’t plan on doing anything.
Oh sure, things get done – there are endless hours of filling out forms and talent review meetings – but at the end of the day, the thick books are put on a shelf to gather dust until they need to be updated one year later. In order for succession planning to be effective, action needs to be taken to fill any gaps, remove obstacles, and get people ready for larger responsibilities.

5. You don’t know how to do it.
Sure, everyone has to learn something that they’ve never done before. However, if you’ve never done it, hire someone who knows how to (and has done it a few times). If you don’t, and make a lot of mistakes in the early stages, it takes years to undo the damage and get people back on board. Either hire someone with real talent management expertise or hire a good consultant to get you started.

6. You’re a small start-up in a rapid growth mode.
I suppose you could make an academic argument that this kind of organization needs succession planning as much as a large, mature organization. However, the reality is, if you’ve ever worked in one of these businesses, “long-term” usually means next quarter. A savvy CEO or HR pro knows when to leave these businesses alone, and inoculate them from some of the business processes that they just can’t possible pay attention to at this point in their growth. There will come a time, it’s just not this year or next.

7. You’re told to do it because everybody else does it so we should to.
I’ve actually heard this reason for doing succession planning mentioned more than any other. It’s follow the leader. I realize there’s a time to follow orders and just do it, but in this case, some brave soul needs to put their hand up and ask “but why”?

8. You want to impress your Board of Directors or CEO.
This is all about “looking good”, vs. “being good”. It usually involves thick, glossy, color notebooks, or fancy software systems with all the bells and whistles. “Hey Rocky, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat! Oops, wrong hat”.

9. It’s really just affirmative action in disguise.
Sometimes an organization needs to build diversity into its senior ranks. Cool, I get that. However, this succession planning sub-goal shouldn’t dwarf the entire process. Talent identification and selection for key development programs begins to look like a quota filling exercise and it loses credibility.

10. Succession planning was included in your new HR software package and you want to get the most bang for your buck.
Seriously, I’m not making this up. I actually heard it at a talent management conference over lunch. Something about “leveraging our full suite of talent management infrastructure, yada, yada”. Well heck, if you paid for it, you might as well use it, right?

How about you? Can you think of any other reasons why NOT to do succession planning?