Wisdom is the Power to…

…put our Time and our Knowledge to the Proper Use.

Time Management is one of the more important and popular leadership topics I am asked to speak about in my seminars. Knowledge, as a function of effective decision-making and communications, is integrated into nearly every workshop I facilitate. It occurs to me addressing both in the context of the quote by Thomas, J. Watson, former Chairman and CEO of IBM made sense in today’s time and knowledge strained business environment.

We’ve all heard the expression “Time is Money”. We know money is either spent or invested. When we invest money we expect a return on our investment. When we spend money, we consume what we buy as a one-time event. Time is no different in the sense that it, like money is either spent or invested. When we spend time, we never get it back as it is a one-time event. When we invest time, we have an expectation of some level of return for the time invested. The difference between spending time and investing time is the presence of goals. When time is used towards accomplishing our goals, we are making an investment in our personal and professional future. When we do not have goals, time used is spent on one-and-done events, which literally do little to advance our future.

We live in a world that is information-rich and knowledge-poor. We can get content from anywhere through the wonders of modern technology and the plethora of data sources available to us in real time. However, it takes a level of understanding and time to put the content into a context resulting in sustainable leadership decisions. It is knowledge which helps leaders know when and where to effectively leverage their leadership skills. When leaders rely only on information, as far too many do in my experience, their decisions have limited effectiveness for their organization. True knowledge-based decisions and communications provide deeper meaning and understanding for all in the organization.

The implication to today’s leader is clear. They are increasingly challenged where they invest time and deal with volumes more information to convert to knowledge than existed in the days of Thomas J. Watson. However, the need to properly invest time and knowledge has never been more important. The key element to both is having clear, written goals that align to the leader’s purpose and vision in a very specific, measurable and time-bound manner. In this way, time is invested towards goal achievement and only relevant information becomes knowledge to achieve desired results.

It is wisdom that forms the foundation of sustainable leadership. Wisdom based on the effective investment of time and the efficient use of knowledge to become life-long leaders. How are your goals taking you down the road to Wisdom?

Lead Well!

Effectively balancing the “What”…

…versus the “How” as a Leader

One of the most challenging balancing acts a leader faces is determining how much they communicate what they want the desired results and outcomes to be, balanced against how much they tell those who execute the business how to achieve the desired results and outcomes. I would imagine your first response might be something along the lines of, “Whatever it takes to achieve the goals” or possibly, “ If you want it done right, you need to tell them exactly how to do it”. However, if you view the role of leader against the long-term view of business success, the answer is not so simple.

One would think communicating what to do would be the easier of the two tasks. I maintain they are both equally challenging for completely different reasons. A leader who effectively communicates what needs to be done is not merely reciting a checklist of tasks needing to be completed. It starts with translating the Vision of the business into a meaningful and tangible language for those who execute the business goals. Because the leader cannot possibly communicate every minute detail of the strategy, they must outline enough of the “What” and “Why” for the strategy to succeed. In other words, leaders must communicate their intent to the organization and it is where one of the biggest challenges occurs.

A question every leader must clearly communicate is “What does Success look like?” When the business is successful, what are people in the business doing? What are customers of the business saying about you? What are your vendors doing to support you? The more detailed the answers, the clearer the leader’s intent. Notice there is no mention of how all this occurs, only that when success does occur, this is the picture we see.

Which brings us to the communicating how to achieve the desired results. The process begins with an accurate assessment of the Attitudes, Skills and Knowledge of the team. We know that Attitude, or the Want to succeed is 75% of the overall success equation. If those who execute the business do not believe they can carry out the strategy the leader communicates to them, it is a foregone conclusion it will fail. If they believe in the strategy, success is three quarters complete! The team must also possess the requisite Skills, or how to do the functions to succeed and the Knowledge, knowing when and where to leverage the requisite skills for overall success.

Understanding the necessary Attitudes, Skills and Knowledge in the context of the leader’s intent, presents its own challenge because leaders may have differing perspectives than those who execute the business. As Anais Nin once said, “We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are”. One only has to look at the behavioral differences between a Baby Boomer leading a team of Generation X and/or Generation Y associates. The context of the leader’s intent may be translated differently (not necessarily correctly or incorrectly, just differently) leading to less than desired results.

It all starts with effectively communicating a strategy and strategic intent to those who execute the business. If a total stranger walks up to you and asks you to describe what your success looks like, how clear is the picture you paint for them?

Lead Well!

“Leadership is not wielding Authority …

…it’s Empowering People”

As I reflected on my coaching activity over the last several months, I realized most of my time was spent with a collective group representing a crucial leadership component in any organization - middle management. I am referring to those Senior Managers and Directors who are typically one or two levels removed from the front lines of the business as well as several layers removed from the boardroom. Yet to be successful, they keep an eye on, and understand the activities of, both ends of the spectrum. Based on recent experience, it is still a challenge as it was when I held similar positions in my own corporate career. In reflection, the expression above from Becky Brodin is a reminder of an integral part of the being a successful middle management leader.

Success in middle management requires the leader to be part tactician, part strategic thinker; part detail-oriented, part big-picture; part manager and every bit a leader! In a constantly changing business environment, middle management leaders have to continuously adapt to changes that come from senior leadership and at the same time effectively manage their teams as they interact daily with the changing demands of customers, vendors and suppliers as well as their own team’s individual goals. With all these demands, empowerment is crucial to their success!

In my own experience, there are four distinct scenarios where leaders in middle management are effective by empowering their teams or being empowered themselves to make the right decisions and achieve their desired results.

The first is being able to be the top when you have to. Being able to make decisions when needed without always having to “run it up the chain of command” is the sign of an empowered leader as well as indicative of a high performing organization. Leaders in middle management should understand the strategic intent well enough to be able to confidently make operational decisions to advance their organizations in alignment with the overall strategy of the business.

The second scenario is the opposite of the first. They need to be the bottom when they have to. Being able to filter and or translate the volume of information that comes from senior leadership requires a current knowledge of what is important to their team and what is not. Passing information on solely based on “it came from the top” has no value other than passing on the message. Effective communication is ensuring the context is meaningful to the audience. Therefore successful leaders either stop meaningless traffic or translate complex messaging into meaningful information.

The third scenario requiring empowerment comes in the form of being a facilitator when necessary. When issues cross the middle management leader’s path, they become opportunities to facilitate a solution rather that solve the problem directly. The ability to empower the parties involved to work through the issue, either directly or possibly through collaboration with other parties the leader can bring to the discussion, is a powerful leadership tool. Not only has the leader helped build new relationships, the parties involved also actively learn through their own empowerment.

The final scenario is similar to the third in that the leader acts as coach when necessary. Coaching helps individuals create their own solutions to issues with the support of the coaching leader. By empowering the individual, the leader once again creates a learning opportunity through the empowerment process and creates a more confident member of their teams through each coaching opportunity.

When I work with leaders in middle management positions, I always explore empowerment on two levels. We look at the leader’s level of empowerment with their own team as well as the level of empowerment they themselves have from their managers. How much is empowerment contributing to your success as a leader?

Lead Well!

“Discipline is the refining fire…

…by which talent becomes ability.”

No matter how much leadership development, management training or personal coaching we attend or participate in, successful leadership must always include a discussion of discipline. This reference by Roy L. Smith is a great example of the crucial role discipline plays in our success as leaders. In one of my earliest newsletters I spoke of talent and what it really takes to create the ability to be a successful leader. In the years since I have had the pleasure of working with successful entrepreneurs, organizational leadership teams and not-for-profit leaders and boards. In every case, the ability to be disciplined leaders contributes to their sustainable success.

I recently had the privilege of attending a seminar by a fellow coach who spoke of the value of 10,000 hours. If you have read Malcolm Gladwell’s book, “Outliers” (previewed below) you know about the 10,000 hours. He speaks to the idea that it takes 10,000 hours of purposeful practice to become an expert in your field. If we are to be expert leaders, we need to have practiced successful leadership for at least that many hours. In simpler terms, 10,000 hours breaks down to nearly 3 hours per day for 10 years! It means that for at least 3 hours a day, you have the discipline to be the leader you need to be so that it becomes second nature to you.

Therein lies the issue with leadership development as we used to know it. You cannot go to a class or attend a seminar and walk out a leader, no more than you can take a few golf lessons and play like a pro. When professional golfers practice their golf swing at the practice range, each shot is taken with a purpose in mind. Each shot has a meaning to how they are going to leverage their abilities to win the next tournament they enter. When I go to the practice range to practice my mechanics, it is also with my purpose in mind. I play golf to enjoy myself. That is my purpose. Therefore, my time on the practice range is to become good enough to enjoy myself as I play (that usually means staying out of the woods, water, other fairways etc!). Each shot in practice is with that purpose in mind making the practice time meaningful to success on the course.

So too, leadership is also about leading with a purpose. I recently gave a presentation titled “Keeping your business alignment with your purpose”. One key aspect of this idea is to know what your purpose is to begin with. It is entirely possible we became organizational leaders without a specific purpose in mind. Possibly our purpose is still unfolding as we continue to exercise our leadership abilities. And possibly our purpose has changed as we evolve as leaders through our 10,000 hour leadership journey.

Whatever the case, having the discipline to make each hour, each day, each week as a leader count towards becoming the expert leader your followers are looking to you for must become your purpose. How are you keeping that refining fire lit?

Lead Well!

“Peace is not the absence of conflict...

...But the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict.”

On the eve of the anniversary of our nation’s independence, Dorothy Thompson’s words seemed an appropriate introduction to this month’s leadership topic – Managing Conflict. Much like our founding fathers managed conflict to achieve independence, so too must today’s leaders be prepared to manage conflict in their organizations to achieve their desired results. Conflict is defined as an interaction between interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals or interference from others in achieving their goals. The key aspects for leaders to key in on are the level of interdependence between the parties involved and the foundation of each other’s perceptions. Establishing this level of interdependence helps leaders address the conflict in the context of the relationships involved. Addressing the perceptions by all parties enables leaders to understand the issues in the context of the facts of the conflict.

At the root of these two challenges is effective communication. Communication contributes to both the cause and the cure of conflict. Conflict typically shows itself in the absence of effective communication, creating misperceptions and information vacuums. Effective communication is a key catalyst to cure a conflict with the ability to bring parties together to understand the importance of the interdependent relationships, fill information voids and reset perceptions to their proper levels. A Leader’s ability to step into any conflict situation and effectively communicate to all parties can be the difference between success and failure, but not all Leaders are the same and not all Leaders manage conflict the same way.
Ralph H. Kilmann and Kenneth W. Thomas identified 5 specific Conflict Management styles based on their research in the early ‘70’s. The five styles are based on how aggressively one pursues their own goals against how aggressively they cooperate with the other parties in the conflict. The five styles are typically represented on a 2x2 grid with Assertiveness & Cooperativeness as the axis identifiers. The five styles are:

• Avoidance – Low Assertiveness, Low Cooperativeness
• Accommodation – Low Assertiveness, High Cooperativeness
• Compromise – Medium Assertiveness, Medium Cooperativeness
• Competition – High Assertiveness, Low Cooperativeness
• Collaboration – High Assertiveness, High Cooperativeness

As you can imagine, each style carries with it a unique set of skills, both communication and others, which may or may not be the Leader’s strength. I have worked with Leaders with all five natural styles to either complement their style with mine and/or to help them adjust their style to better achieve their desired results.

At no point have we discussed eliminating conflict. Lyle E. Schaller once said, “The easiest, the most tempting, and the least creative response to conflict within an organization is to pretend it does not exist”. As leaders, we must all recognize conflict will always exist and learn to effectively manage it through effective communication and awareness of our natural management style. How are you achieving peace in your organization?

Lead Well!

75% of College Students Admittedly Cheat in School…

…and 45% of College Professors Turn a Blind Eye To It!

Several years ago, I was preparing a presentation on business ethics for a local high school business class. Given the audience, I decided to see what the current mindset was among high school students around cheating – arguably a key indicator of ethical attitudes. The results, including those in the title, were shocking to me. Being a Visiting Professor myself at both undergraduate and graduate level, the toleration statistic was particularly galling.

What does this have to do with Leadership as a Way of Life? Everything! Not a week goes by I do not hear self-proclaimed statements about the positive ethical attitudes and behaviors of individuals and organizations. Given the statistics, which are from multiple studies within the last decade, I would argue this is a greater leadership challenge than we are readily admitting.

What is more concerning about the prevalence of cheating in college is the statistic revealing 85% of college students believe cheating is necessary to get ahead. I suspect it is driven by the “good grades are all that matter” attitude in high school to the “whatever it takes to get ahead” attitude seen in graduate school education. How many times have we heard ourselves say something like “just get it done” or “its all about getting results” without fully understanding the ethical implications? Is the pressure to meet leadership’s expectations turning the organization into a Machiavellian “the ends justify the means” culture? To further support the point for business, The Chronicle of Higher Education raised the point in a September 2006 article that business school students, both undergraduate and graduate level, were more apt to cheat than their non-business school counterparts. Those business school graduates may well be working for you as you read this newsletter!

So just how bad is this cheating epidemic? The November 2010 issue of The Chronicle for Higher Education ran an article written by a paid academic ghostwriter. The writer documents in clear detail writing papers for undergraduate, graduate and doctorate students. The writer completed papers for nursing students, seminary students and education administration students including papers for these groups dealing with ethical issues such as academic integrity! The worst part of the article is, to the writer’s knowledge, none of the students were ever caught. (Click here for online chat results with the ghostwriter).

You can argue, is the problem the cheater or the organization for poor enforcement? In truth, it is both. Leaders set expectations deeply rooted in their own core values as well as the values of the organization. Having core values implies both the leader and the organization enforce them with clear consequences for operating outside these values.

One of the most inspirational speakers I know, John Blumberg, speaks to this topic in his book Good to the Core. My favorite quote from the book is:

“We don’t go running away from our values. We go drifting away, and one day wake-up in a place we never meant to be, drifting in a direction we would have never chosen.”

As you reflect on your core values, are 85% of the recent college graduates in your circle of influence seeing you drift?

Lead Well!

Why should we care about…

…four generations in the workplace?

Last month, I introduced a discussion on generational diversity as the first of a two part series on the topic. In that issue we spoke of the four generations (Traditionalist, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y) currently in the workplace and some of the prevailing perceptions each has of the other. This month, we will look closer at the unique ways leaders can retain, motivate and effectively lead each of these generations individually and collectively as members of the same team.

Previously we highlighted how older generations perceive the younger generation’s work ethics as lacking in some way compared to theirs. In truth, each generation believes their work ethic is fine leading to the leader’s challenge – how to get past the perceptions. The place to start is a better understanding of how each prevailing generation (Boomers, Gen X and Gen Y) is motivated and best managed to avoid losing the talent they bring to the organization.

Baby Boomers want to be appreciated for the experience and knowledge they bring to an organization. While they may resist change, they generally do so out of dedication to the organization, which is very important to them. Giving them opportunities to mentor is a great way to show you respect their contributions. I would take this a step further and create a reverse-mentoring process where the Boomer mentors the younger generations who, in turn, mentor the Boomer on skills to help them keep up with the pace of business.

Generation X, on the other hand, is looking for more flexible schedules and the opportunity to be problem-solvers. After all, this is the latch-key generation whose Boomer parents both worked so they had to fend for themselves growing up. They typically do not need to be micro-managed but do crave feedback from their leaders. They take on empowerment so focusing on their expected outcomes will generate better relationships with Gen X.

Leading Generation Y requires yet another set of leadership expectations. Gen Y needs structure and stability, which means feedback, feedback and more feedback. They are very cause-oriented and socially conscious which is key for organizations looking for sustainability solutions. Authenticity and transparency also matter to a generation that is used to finding whatever they need or want through technology. However, they will likely need their leader’s help with effective communications and problem solving for the very same reason. The same reliance on technology to gather a wealth of information does not necessarily equip them to analyze it for knowledge-based decision-making.

Several months ago, I had the pleasure of presenting on this topic to the Center for Women Business Owners (CFWBO) where we discussed these and other challenges and solutions to generational diversity from a leadership perspective. Whether you are a business owner, corporate leader or non-profit leader, understanding the value each generation brings to the workplace is paramount to success. A word of caution in these generalizations are just that – generalizations and do not define individuals as such. Successful leaders move beyond the perceptions and generalizations to tap the personal power of each individual they lead. How well do you know everyone on your team?

Lead Well.

“Baby Boomers are immigrants…

…to the world that Gen X and Yers are born into.”

This quote is from the January issue of FastCompany.com addressing the recent leadership changes at Google. In the article, the author uses the leadership arrangement at the search company as an example of a phenomenon he calls “…B-I Leadership—Bi-Generational, Boomer, Gen-X, Gen-Y management.” It also provides a great backdrop for a topic every leader today must understand – generational diversity.

As we look at today’s business landscape we see four generations (and a fifth around the corner) in the workplace. It is in understanding how each generation has a different view of the world and each communicates in unique ways that makes managing the different generations a challenge for today’s leaders. While the Traditionalist (those 65 years old and over) continue in the workforce, their numbers are dwindling, especially as the economy recovers. And while you may have already heard of Generation Z (those just turning 18 years old) they are only now beginning to enter the workforce. For purposes of this commentary, which is Part 1 of a two-part series, we will focus on the other three generations - Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y.

Baby Boomers are the generation represented by those who are now between 47 and 65 years old. As a generation, they were influenced by the Cold War, the civil Rights Movement and the gaffe’s they saw in government such as the Nixon Watergate scandal. As a result, these roughly 76M people value hard work to get ahead, competition, teamwork and face-to-face communications.

The next generation, Generation X is defined as those who are now between 30 and 46 years old. As a generation they were influenced by recessions and high unemployment to the point where they came to value entrepreneurship and creativity. These approximately 46M people also value having greater access to information and feedback than their predecessors.

Generation Y, or Millenials as they are sometimes referred, are between 19 and 29 years old. This is the largest generation of the three totaling just over 80M people by some estimates. Their major influences were technology and growing up with “helicopter parents” a term used to describe parents who managed their every move growing up hovering over them like helicopters. Consequently, as a generation, they value positive reinforcement (lots of it), structure, technology and autonomy.

These generalizations of each generation are just that – generalizations. Leaders must avoid casting too wide a shadow over each demographic themselves lest they become an ineffective leader. However, perceptions prevail in the business (for-profit and non-profit) environment and leaders must deal with them as well. For instance, in recent studies, 63% of Baby Boomers feel “younger people” do not have as strong a work ethic as they do. Additionally, 32% of Generation X believes the “younger generation” lacks a good work ethic, which is a problem. Finally, 13% of Generation Y say the difference in work ethics across generations is a problem.

With this level of disparity in the workplace, leaders must understand what each generation brings to the organization. They must also know how to bridge the gaps between them to achieve the organization’s desired results. How might your own generational perceptions impact your ability to build these bridges?

Lead Well.

We Can Learn a Lot about Total Leadership…

…From the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers.

As is tradition, the February issue of this newsletter highlights the reigning Super Bowl champions. Hopefully, the mere title of this newsletter does not cause most of my hometown Chicago readers to automatically delete this file before reading at least a few sentences! While the intensity of the Packers-Bears rivalry marches on, we can glean leadership lessons from the way the Packers became only the second team seeded last in the playoffs to go on to win the Super Bowl. As I watched the playoffs unfold, the back-stories kept taking me back to the Total Leadership Model described as the alignment of organizational strategy with its people and processes to fully engage the organization with the expressed outcome to create loyal clients.

Strategically, the Packers mantra for the season was adaptability. They had the most players on injured reserve (15) of any NFC Team in the league last season. They made the playoffs seeded last, meaning they would have to play three games on the road just to get to the Super Bowl. That meant their strategy would have to take those realities into account to achieve the desired result of winning the Super Bowl. How many leaders today misjudge their competition due to changes in the competitive landscape or mentally defeat their efforts because the competitors are bigger, better funded or both? Effective strategies are built on accurate assessments of the external environment and of the strengths and weaknesses of the organization. For the Green Bay Packers, these strategies and associated philosophies generated more championships than any other team in the league including four Super Bowl titles.

In the Total Leadership Model, People Development and Process Improvement are aligned to support the organization’s strategy. For the Packers, this meant fielding skilled players (changing week-to-week due to injuries) and processes (play-calling to optimize the changing roster) to support and align with the current strategy. In any business, the people and processes may fluctuate over time. The real differentiator in success is Attitude, especially down the stretch. Much is made of home-field advantage in sports and it could be argued the Packers were not always the most talented all around team on the field in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas. In the end, it was the team that believed in themselves the most that carried the day, even when two more of their starters, and emotional leaders, were lost to injury in the first half of the championship game. Successful leaders create and execute strategies to optimize the strengths of their people in full alignment with the core processes they use in their businesses.

Total Leadership is about creating loyal clients through engaged employees. It is in this regard the Packers are unique among NFL teams. Despite playing in the smallest NFL market, they have one of the largest fan bases in the sport and have more names on their season ticket waiting list than there are actual seats in Lambeau Field where they play. Leaders may talk about client loyalty but fewer put forth the time and level of effort required to create this level of loyalty and pride in their organizations. Engaged employees are the basis for creating loyal clients, concepts that look much like the traditional training camp bike rides and Family Nights of the Green Bay Packers.

I had lunch last week with a business owner who created a very successful business after coming to the U.S. over twenty years ago. When I mentioned the topic of this month’s newsletter she told me about how, in her frequent travels, she carries a book about Vince Lombardi to read his quotes and philosophies whenever she flies. What will it take for you to generate that level of loyalty and be the champions of your business?

Lead Well.

Being “Above Average” is to Success...

...what being “Above Ground” is to Living.

This quote is from Jay Niblick’s book “What’s your Genius” I previewed in the November 2010 issue of “What to Read”. It struck a chord with me when I first read it and as I sat down to pen this issue on achieving success, it resonated once again. I believe it speaks to success being more than just getting by, much like truly living life being judged by more than simply standing upright and breathing.

What I find interesting is how much less I hear the term “Success” now than I typically did last quarter. A quarter ago, which to many was the end of their fiscal year, I heard many variations of “We succeeded because...” or “Look what we did to succeed”. What I hear little of now are phrases like, “Here’s what we will do to succeed” or “Our success looks like...” It is as if we only feel comfortable talking about success after it happens. We seem less comfortable planning for success and overtly stating how we will achieve it. Too often we throw together a loosely defined plan and hope it works.

As we find our rhythm for 2011, here is how we can definitively achieve success both professionally and personally. It all begins with goals. Not just any goals, but ones that carry meaning in the context of what you want to achieve. Many of our readers are familiar with SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistically High and Time Bound) Goals. I would take it a step further and suggest they be WAY-SMART (Written, Aligned, Yours, SMART) Goals.

Having goals help you identify what you want to do and why you want to achieve them. However, you also have to be capable of achieving success. Do you possess the skills (the know how) required to be successful? Additionally, do you have the knowledge (the know when and know where) to use your skills in their proper context? We spend a good deal of time, many times the majority of our time, developing our skills and knowledge, believing they will help us achieve our goals and ultimately be successful.

But is it enough? Not really. One only has to listen to the battlefield of broken resolutions that typically show themselves this time of year. With great intentions so many set goals to improve themselves aptly equipped with the skills and knowledge to do so. Yet by late January or early February, they begin to break down. What’s missing? It is our attitude that makes the difference. It defines our want to achieve our goal and be the success we have pictured in our mind’s eye. While attitude contributes nearly 75% of our success, how much time do we spend developing our attitude? Probably significantly less than 75%! Instead, we continue to invest heavily in skills and knowledge hoping they will make up the difference. They won’t!

The right combination of Goals, Skills, Knowledge and Attitudes provide us our greatest opportunity to create a future of success. In a Victor Hugo quote forwarded to me recently, he states, “The future has many names. For the weak, it means unattainable. For the fearful, it means the unknown. For the courageous, it means opportunity.” Do you have the courage to live more than just “above ground”?

Lead Well!

Information is Knowing a Tomato is a Fruit…

…Knowledge is Knowing not to put it in a Fruit Salad.

In a previous edition, we discussed the relationship between Information (organized data) and Knowledge (information in context). I bring it up again not to highlight the contents of a fruit salad, but to highlight a much more crucial issue for leaders – timely decision-making. In my work with leaders, we describe the first two steps in the decision-making process as 1) Identify the Issue and 2) Gather and Analyze Information. The decision-maker must properly define the scope of the problem, situation or challenge in enough detail to create tangible alternatives. They must also gather the right amount of the right information to make a knowledgeable decision. (click here to continue reading)

Information overload is not a new challenge. Lucius Annaeus Seneca was a Senator and Adviser under Nero in the early part of his reign. Seneca was a prolific letter writer whose thoughts, insights and convictions were well read throughout the literate Roman Empire. Even in his day, he noted the issue with connectedness by observing “the danger of allowing others – not just friends and colleagues, but the masses – to exert too much influence on one’s thinking”. Without mentioning these words were written around the time of Christ, you could easily assume it was written recently.

To the decision-maker, it is no longer just a task to find the relevant information to use, but to weed out and discard the unnecessary information and do it at the speed of competition. No easy task when the amount of information available to us doubles every 9 – 10 minutes (depending on which study you read). The proliferation of Twitter, blogs, Facebook and texting contributes to this informational tsunami. They also create a greater challenge analyzing the volume of information as messages become shorter and cryptic (Twitter reports over 2 billion tweets a month) at the same time ensuring they are factually correct. We now get billions of messages just to tell us someone, somewhere created a message earmarked for us to read. Last month, AT&T sent 1 billion such messages over its network up from 400 million a month 11 months ago.

As I look at the impact this phenomenon has on our decision-making process as leaders, I see less contingency planning due to the instantaneous nature of technology and less reflection on the meaning of information to create sustainable knowledge. I recently observed a customer in a local Subway sandwich shop dictating multiple orders to the person making the sandwiches. After each order he went back to his phone for the next order. I wondered to myself if that person were in a business environment and had to remember multiple facts, would that be his way of managing information?

Seneca wrote “Elite, literate Romans were discovering the great paradox of information: the more of it that is available, the harder it is to be truly knowledgeable. It was impossible to process it all in a thoughtful way.” As leaders striving to make effective knowledgeable decisions about your business, how many tomatoes are in your fruit salad?

Lead Well!

Workers Distracted by Email and Phone Calls suffer a fall in IQ…

…More than Twice that found in Marijuana Smokers!

These are the conclusions of a 2005 study funded by Hewlett Packard and conducted by the University of London Institute of Psychiatry. It also sets the stage for this month’s topic on multitasking. Many leaders today pride themselves in being able to multitask, in some cases the more multi- the better. They also expect their teams to be able to multitask falsely believing it to be a sign of efficiency. In fact, it is quite the opposite of the truth. (click here to continue reading)

While it is true the brain can simultaneously manage multiple tasks like controlling your heartbeat while you listen to music, leaders are most focused on is the ability to pay attention to multiple tasks and do them well. In this scenario the brain is working in a sequential fashion. No matter it appears someone is doing multiple activities at one time, the brain is really task-switching one after the other very fast. In truth, the more we ask the brain to do at any given time the less our ability to pay attention any of those activities. The most visible examples of this phenomenon are driving and performing other activities at the same time (talking on the phone, texting, applying make-up etc.) drawing attention to the serious safety issues.

But what of workplace productivity? Is it such a big deal that we try to do many things simultaneously? In a practical sense, when we interrupt what we are currently focused on to take a call on our smart-phone or respond to an email on our computer, the brain has to shift gears to provide new focus on a new topic. This means quickly shifting our subconscious rule sets for to determine how we handle this new task. When we are finished answering/responding to the interruption, we shift again and once more re-establish focus on the original activity (how often do we say “Where was I?”) Unless you have well-established working memory, this can result in a complete restart of the original task. A University of California study found it took office workers 25 minutes on average to return to their original tasks after being interrupted by phone calls and emails. How many times are you interrupted in a day? Do you set aside blocks of time during your most productive time of the day to work on your high priority work? What happens to productivity when you lose nearly a half hour every time you are interrupted? In 2007 it was estimated extreme multitasking and information overload annually costs the U.S. economy $650 Billion in lost productivity.

Another important question for leaders is how many times a day are they the interruption? Leaders espouse the benefits of productivity and efficiency, but are they aware of how many times they are interrupting their teams and staffs for low priority reasons? Are they creating a climate of poor productivity due to their own challenges with time management and productivity? In my experience, the best way to answer these questions is to take two weeks and track what you and your staff are doing with their time. If you notice they are doing something different every 15 minutes it is a sure sign they are trying to multitask and may be struggling to focus on more important things. How are the most productive staff members managing their time? In every opportunity I had to conduct these time-use studies with my teams we created improvement programs that more than paid for themselves in increased productivity!

The idea behind this topic is not that we don’t have the ability to do multiple things at one time (Millennials will debate they can do this all day long!). It is whether we can produce desired results by doing multiple things at one time. To achieve your desired results, are you relying on employees who are less productive than marijuana smokers?

Lead Well!

Leadership Lessons…

…From Running Triathlons.

Several weeks ago I ran a Sprint Triathlon in our hometown, something I’ve done for the last four years. However, what made this year special is I ran it with my youngest son who was running the race for the first time. Since it was his first race and our plan was to run it together, our motto for the race became “Start Steady, Finish Strong”. Undoubtedly, most of you reading this have heard of the famous Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. The Sprint Triathlon is the shortest of the four official distances but still involves the same three events – swimming, biking and running in that order. So as I reflected on the race, it occurred to me the parallels between training and running triathlons with the leadership coaching I do as part of my practice.

When I first began competing in triathlons, I viewed them as separate events in which to train. I was a competitive swimmer and runner in both high school and college so it was natural for me to train in each event as I had before. This is no different when we find ourselves approaching new professional and personal challenges by relying on the skills and knowledge we developed from our past. Even when we set goals for ourselves to improve in an individual endeavor, it is still the past that governs our execution unless we consciously make a change. And as I realized my training regimen wasn’t enough, I needed to make a change - in my attitude regarding the race itself!

I had to change my mental approach to the race to ultimately achieve my goal. I actually made two changes. First, I changed my mental approach to the race from three individual events back-to-back-to-back to one race with five aligned competitive pieces. I say five because the transitions between events are really mini-events in and by themselves as the clock continues to tick during the swim-bike and bike-run transitions. Secondly, I realized I could not do this solely based on my own experience. I reached out to accomplished tri-athletes and read blogs from others who were also trying to optimize their triathlon experience. These two changes helped me align my actions to accomplish my overall goal.

So what does this have to do with leadership? How much are we relying on the experiences of the past to deal with today’s challenges? Are we going about change alone or are we reaching out to others to help us develop new leadership attitudes? Is our business a series of disparate, misaligned goals preventing us from achieving our ultimate objective? These are questions all leaders should regularly ask themselves.

I recently read a quote from Fred Lebow, founder of the New York City Marathon, a race I’ve run twice who said, “In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack or last. You can say ‘I have finished’. There is a lot of satisfaction in that”. As my son and I completed the triathlon, I had no idea where in the pack we finished but I do know we Started Steady and we definitely Finished Strong! Are your goals aligned for a strong finish?

Lead Well!

Rick Lochner

We Need 100%...

...From 100%

As a leader in corporate organizations, the military and small businesses, this was a frequent reminder to my organization we all have a role to play in our organization’s success. It also reminded them of the importance of showing up every day with everything they have to give, not just show up. Said differently, I was promoting full employee engagement by everyone in the organization. As we reviewed the four key elements of the Total Leadership Model these previous four months, it all centers on the level of engagement by employees, associates and volunteers who create the moments of truth and points of connection between the organization and those who bring you business.

Last month I referenced the results of a recent Gallup Poll survey indicating in average performing organizations, only 33% of employees are engaged in the business. This compared to world-class organizations where the exact opposite is true and 67% of the organization engaged in the business. In addition, in average performing organizations, 18% of employees were actively disengaged. This means that only a third of the organization cares about the activities contributing directly to employee retention, productivity, customer satisfaction/engagement, safety and profitability; all measurable dimensions of organizational success. Improving employee engagement has a direct effect on customer loyalty. Last month I mentioned even a 5% increase in customer loyalty can improve profits by 25% up to 85% depending on industry.

But what if you are a small or medium sized business with few employees? Does this matter? How engaged are the employees of your larger customers, especially the ones who implement your services, purchase your products and pay your invoices? If they don’t care beyond the minimum, how does that affect your business? Employee engagement impacts every business, large or small!

And it all starts with leadership. Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric once said, “Any company trying to compete…must figure out how to engage the mind of every employee.” We define organizational culture as the shared values, beliefs and actions that develop within an organization guiding the behavior of its members. Employee attitude is where it starts for leaders because it is attitude that drives behavior and it is behavior that drives the ability to achieve the desired results of the organization. The behavior observed by your customers, suppliers and other employees forms the ongoing perception of your organization and your business. As you understand the market’s perception of your business, are you getting 100% out of 100%?

Lead Well!

Customer Satisfaction is Worthless...

…Customer Loyalty is Priceless.

This often quoted title from Jeffrey Gitomer’s book sets the stage for the fourth and final component of the Total Leadership Model. In a previous edition (11/09) of this newsletter, I introduced some general differences between satisfied customers and loyal customers. However, the real question becomes “How is Customer Loyalty a competitive advantage?”

Customers generate revenue, loyal customers generate profit. When I was leading corporate organizations, our customer and sales support teams worked closely alongside our sales teams. It was a relationship not always obvious or easy to manage, but one I always insisted on nonetheless. You see, while I was interested in the initial sale to a new client, I was even more interested in the second, third, fourth, nth sales. Why? Because I knew how important the follow-on sales were to profitability and creating emotional relationships with our customers. In industries where the core products and services are commodities, it was the power of points of connection, or “Moments of Truth” that drove ongoing loyalty within our customer base. Studies show as little as a 5% increase in customer loyalty can drive an increase in profits from 25% to over 80%. To highlight the power of moments of truth, another study showed that if an organization’s employees were 100% engaged, they would see a 70% increase in customer loyalty. Why is this significant? A recent Gallup Poll showed an average employee engagement level of 30%. Said differently, 70% of employees are disengaged creating an untenable gap in the ability to create powerful points of connection with their customer base and causing a direct drain on profits!

But who or what are we loyal to? We know when we engage in the Buying/Selling process, buyers look to buy you first before they look at your company or your products. They are looking to establish the first of the three components necessary to developing customer loyalty – trust. Whether it is you, the entrepreneur, you the corporate leader or you the member of a non-profit team, prospective customers and donors are first and foremost looking to see if they trust you! What is their first impression of you, your brand, your office or your website? What are others saying about you? These moments of truth become the catalyst to creating a consistent experience creating the second component of loyalty – a strong emotional tie with the customer. The third component of customer loyalty is the use of empathy to continuously and consistently meet or exceed an ever-increasing level of expectation in today’s business environment and strengthen the overall customer relationship.

It is the customer’s experience with you that counts. Peter Drucker once said “Quality in a Service or Product is not what you put into it. It is what the Client or Customer gets out of it.” Is what your customers are getting out of your products or services worthless or priceless?

Lead Well!

If You Can’t Describe What You Do as a Process...

…You Don’t Know What You Are Doing.

These words from W. Edwards Deming, considered the godfather of organizational process improvement, are a great way to introduce the third element of the Total Leadership Model. To put it in perspective, we previously introduced Strategy as the foundation of the model and last month discussed Leadership Development as one of the two key supporting elements of the model. This month we look at Operational Improvement, the Process side of Total Leadership, as the other supporting element crucial to being an effective leader in today’s business environment.

Everything we do in our organization be it public, private, non-profit, large or small is a process. Everything we do has inherent interdependencies with what happens before during and after each task and function we execute. And because each task and function we execute has an outcome, it becomes a point in which we can measure the desired results of that task or function. In Dr. H. James Harrington’s book, Business Process Improvement he puts it this way:

• “Measurements are key.
• If you cannot measure it, you cannot control it.
• If you cannot control it, you cannot manage it.
• If you cannot manage it, you cannot improve it.
• It is as simple as that.”

At this point, there may be those of you who may be thinking this is great, but I don’t operate in the plant or in operations where our products are made. In truth more than half of the Operational Improvement opportunities are in the traditional “front office” functions such as Sales, Marketing, Finance and Human Resources. Or there may be those entrepreneurs who run small businesses who think this is great for larger companies, but does not apply to small businesses. In fact, missing these opportunities for Operational Improvement likely has a much greater financial impact as a percentage of revenue than in the larger companies. It’s akin to thinking gravity does not apply to you because you weigh less than twenty pounds. All processes have very real financial impacts if not producing their desired results!

Today’s leaders see this as an opportunity to truly understand what they do in the context of a global business environment constantly evolving through regulatory, economic and socio-cultural changes. As a leader it’s not enough to merely invest in people in the organization if you are not also willing to ensure the processes they use are optimized for success. So, describe what you do again?

Lead Well!

Lead, Follow…

…or Get Out Of The Way.

This well-known quote from Thomas Paine serves as the basis for the second segment of the Total Leadership Process. Thomas Paine has been called the Voice of the Common Man and as such serves as a backdrop for the People aspect of Total Leadership. Last month, we established Purpose as the foundation of Total Leadership revealing itself through the organization’s Vision and Strategy. This month we invoke the People aspect of Total Leadership as we look at organizational development processes organizations use to determine who can communicate the strategic objectives, execute those strategic objectives and provide feedback on progress made on the strategic objectives. In other words, how are organizations developing leaders at all levels of the organization? (click here to continue reading)

In today’s competitive and turbulent, fast-moving economy developing the right leaders becomes an imperative for survival of the business, whether for-profit or not-for-profit. In much the same context as my comments last month where previous strategic assumptions are likely not to work in our current economy, so too are the attitudes and methods traditionally used to develop leaders called into question. We can no longer assume leadership is about possessing certain personal characteristics but rather about the ability to set goals and achieve desired results.

So what does this mean exactly? It means we have to get beyond the development process that assumes if you grow certain leadership qualities in people then somehow this will positively impact operational results. Too much time, money and energy is wasted creating a yardstick of designated leadership characteristics only to find they are yesterday’s news based on the fact changing external and internal forces for change all organizations face. It becomes a journey of hope that is no more effective in today’s market than the “Field of Dreams” (build it and they will come) business strategy.

The solution is all about defining and justifying leadership development on the tangible outcomes it is intended to produce. It drives a strategy focused on the desired results and then grows and develops the people (and processes) to realize those results. As Peter Drucker so aptly stated, “Leadership is all about the Results”.

The challenge with this solution is it assumes the People development process throughout any organization is aligned to its Purpose. This is true regardless of the size of the business or non-profit organization. Is the Leadership Development process in your organization linked tight enough to the Vision and Strategy so when the Strategy changes to adjust to the post-recession economy your organization automatically adjusts the leadership development to develop new skills to deliver new results? If not, are these leaders really leading or are they just in the way?

Lead Well!

You Cannot Control The Wind…

…But You Can Adjust The Sails.

These words to the Ricky Skaggs song Can’t Control The Wind are a great entrée into the first of four monthly segments on the Total Leadership Process. These particular words came to mind as I was reading a recent Fortune article about Larry Ellison and the BMW Oracle Racing Team returning the America’s Cup Trophy back to the United States after a fifteen-year absence. His thoughts on the victory centered on the right combination of technology, sailing skills and strategy.

Strategy is the focus of this segment as it forms the foundation of the Total Leadership Process and reflects the Purpose of the organization. In actuality, the organizational Purpose is a combination of Vision, Values, Mission and Strategy but it is the Strategy that determines how the organization will compete in its current market and industry. Understanding the importance of this definition is crucial as the competitive landscape and assumptions in every industry are changing.

What strategic assumptions worked when economic and industry growth rates were 10% - 15% before the recession will be different in the 2% - 3% growth economy of the next several years. Likewise, targeting double-digit growth rates will require different strategic assumptions than in previous years where that level of growth was not the norm. A strategy setting a path to 12% growth year-over-year sounds good at face value. However, if the industry is growing 15%, the strategy loses market share.

Like the wind challenges sailors, we may have difficulty totally understanding and reacting to the competitive landscape. Some events we can see well in advance. The recent healthcare reform legislation was announced well in advance, enabling organizations to think through various contingency plans on how to react to the final version. In effect for less than a week, several large companies already announced changes as a direct result of the new law.

Other competitive events are not well known, yet must be anticipated in order to put forth a reasonable strategy for success. Most of us cannot accurately predict the future. But the issue is not to predict the future; it is to prepare for the future. Successful leaders continuously run scenarios for their market or industry helping them adapt quickly to their changing competitive landscape.

With so many changes happening at an ever-increasing rate, do you have a means to capture what your market is telling your organization every day in a way that is meaningful to the contingency scenarios relevant to your strategy? Ask yourself how much time your organization spends managing the past versus navigating towards the future. If we drove our cars the same way how much progress would we make?

When the wind changes direction, which way will your crew be facing?

Lead Well!

We Can Learn a Lot about Purpose Driven Leadership…

From the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints.

Now this may seem like a strange way for me to discuss leadership as those who know me know I am a lifelong Colts fan. However, I did spend half my military career in Louisiana and Mississippi only hours from New Orleans and the French Quarter. It is during these times we came to appreciate the food, music and culture of the city. I do know what it feels like to have to evacuate in front of an oncoming hurricane and if nothing else, Sean Payton, the Saints coach is from our hometown of Naperville, IL. So it is with some attachment I use their recent Super Bowl victory as a backdrop for Purpose Driven Leadership.

Purpose Driven Leadership supposes, in spite of all the talk of the recession, jobs, expenses and profits, people want more. This translates through the organization’s Vision and Values. Organizations (public, private and non-profit alike) who have a clear Vision of what they want to become have a distinct and clear advantage over their competitors over the long haul, especially when dealing with change. These same organizations have and live a set of Values embraced by all in the organization and reinforced daily by their leadership. The Saints had a purpose that transcended what happened on the football field earlier this month. They played to not only win the Super Bowl but to provide a sense of higher belief in a home city still rebuilding both physically and culturally. What makes the ideal even more important in my mind is by staying true to their purpose, leaders must take risks to achieve the desired results. The Saints certainly made that point clear with several risky plays including the now famous on-side kick to begin the second half of the game.

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to hear from another member of a Super Bowl team, Jim Covert from the 1985 Chicago Bears. In his speech on leadership he highlighted the idea of Values. As the President and CEO of The Institute for Transfusion Medicine he sees his purpose as creating fundamental and sustainable change through leadership. In doing so, he identified three Values he uses to achieve his Purpose:

➢ Honesty and Integrity – Lead By Example
➢ Set Expectations – Use Effective Goal Setting
➢ Accountability – For You and Those Around You

A story he relayed was of Mike Ditka, the Bears coach at the time, setting a goal to win the Super Bowl at the beginning of the 1983 training camp. What stood out is he also said half of the assembled players would likely not be there, which turned out to be true two years later when they did win the Super Bowl.

So what is the Purpose of your team and is everyone on board to help you win your Super Bowl?

Lead Well.

We Will Do That For You…

…Followed by a Firm Handshake.

One of my favorite gifts this past Christmas was a sculpture of a handshake, a gift from my sons. They know the handshake holds high value to me as a symbol of the right kind of leader to be. It is not an accident it is part of the RPC Leadership Associates brand. While difficult to trace the exact origin of the handshake, we can easily trace its origins back as far as medieval times when knights and royalty would shake as a gesture to let the other know there were no weapons present. In other words, it was a sign of trust. It is trust, which we as a culture continue to struggle with today.

We seldom go a day without seeing a headline or a story related to trust, typically a displayed lack of it. Whether in business, politics or sports names like Madoff, Blagojevich and Woods conjure up images of a broken trust between them and the relationships with the people who helped them succeed in the first place. So I believe it is here we should begin our discussion of trust by looking at what it means to have a meaningful relationship as a leader.

If we look at the buying process used by many in business for making a value based decision, we find it begins with the first thing people buy – you! It is through the strength of the relationship that starts the trust building process. Building trust is much like saving money in a piggy bank. Every moment of truth, every interaction with another person and every transaction in a relationship helps build the trust bank account. I heard it described recently as “we add trust to a relationship a nickel at a time, but we lose trust in that same relationship a dollar at a time”. If leaders are looking for trust in the relationships with their teams the first place they need to look is in the mirror. Are you the type of leader who is trustworthy? I spoke last month of the importance of self-awareness as the authentic leader’s greatest tool. This is crucial as it helps a leader’s ability to leverage candor and empathy as crucial elements to building trust. If people in an organization trust their leader as a person, they stand a much better chance of trusting their organization as a whole. A recent Gallup poll suggests only 30% of employees are fully engaged in their organization. What organization in this day and age can afford to have 30% engagement? Yet by disregarding the very elements that build trust within the culture of their organization, they may as well hang a sign outside their door stating “Employee Engagement Doesn’t Matter Here”.

Finally, a fitting quote from David Armistead I often use, “Trust each other again and again. When the trust level gets high enough, people transcend apparent limits, discovering new and awesome abilities for which they were previously unaware”. Are the trust levels in your organization high enough? Are you ready to discover new abilities to which you are now unaware? We will help you get there. Can we shake on that?

Lead Well.

Rick Lochner