How to get good at uncertainty

If we become comfortable with change, it’s not scary. We can then embrace it, find joy in it.So how do we get good at change? Some suggestions that are working for me:

• Try something new, but small and safe. New things can be scary because we’re afraid we’re going to fall on our faces. But if it’s something small — learning to juggle beanbags in our living room, learning to balance on a rope that’s close to the ground, listening to a language-learning podcast, for example — it’s not as scary. There’s no real risk of getting hurt. And the more we do this, in small, non-scary steps, the more confidence we’ll gain that new things are not painful.

 

• When you mess up, don’t see it as painful failure. When you’re doing new things, there will be times when you make mistakes, mess up, “fail”. But these words are associated with negative things, like pain … instead, start to look at mistakes and “messing up” as something positive — it’s the only way to learn. Messing up is a way to get better at something, to grow, to get stronger.

 

• Ask “what’s the worst-case scenario”? If you’re exposing yourself, getting out of your comfortable environment, leaving behind security … it can be scary, but when you think about what is the worst thing that is likely to happen, usually it’s not that bad. If you lost all your possessions today in a disaster, how bad would that be? How would you cope? What opportunities would there be? What new things could you invent from this blank slate?

 

• Develop a change toolset. Learn how to cope with changes, no matter what they are. Have a fall-back plan if things collapse. Have friends and family you can call on. Develop some skills where you can get a job or start a new business no matter what happens with your current job or the economy. Learn ways of making friends with strangers, finding your way around a strange city, surviving on little. With a toolset like this, you can feel confident that you can handle just about anything that comes.

 

• Become aware of your clinging. Watch yourself clinging to something when you feel fear and pain. What are you clinging to? Often it’s just an idea — the idea of you and a romantic partner, an image of who you are. Become aware of what’s going on.

 

• See the downsides of clinging. Once you see your clinging more clearly, see the pain that results from it. If you’re clinging to your stuff, see the space it takes up, and the extra rent that costs you … see the mental energy it takes to live with all the stuff, the money you’ve spent on it, the lack of space you have to live. Anything you cling to has a downside — we only see the good side of it, and so we want to cling to it.

Do all that, then change.

What I learned about Management and Leadership This Week – March 28th

I am coaching a senior manager in a municipal environment.  He has been with the organization for many years and in his current position for 14 years.  He is talented – he knows everything about his industry.  His peers from other organizations call him for advice and direction; the Human Resources department relies on him for in-depth, background knowledge during contract negotiations; his direct reports always get the answer they need when they bring a problem.

He just resigned his position and he is going back to front-line delivery of service, either directly or through some form of teaching.  I was dumbfounded when I heard and I asked him why.

In a nutshell, this is what he said:

“Michael, I hate managing.  I hate having the phone beside my bed every night.  I hate having to do budgets, performance evaluations, and reports to Council.  I got into managing when I was in my 20’s and continued to move up the ladder.  Every step I took got me farther and farther from what I enjoy the most, which is front-line service delivery.  I’ve got 10 years left before retirement and I am not going to spend that time doing something I hate.”

I learned that management isn’t for everyone, no matter how talented the person may be.  There has to be a fit and a desire or it won’t work.  More than that, I learned that hating what you do isn’t something that you can cover over with an excellent salary, benefits and pension package.  In the end, its better to walk away.

Book recommendation: “The Trust Edge” and “The Five Temptations of a CEO”

In our experience, if a business book has three ideas that are worthwhile considering and adopting, it is a good read.  That isn’t a very high threshold, to be sure, but it seems to fit for us – there aren’t many books with even three good ideas!

Here are two:

“The Trust Edge”, by David Horsager.  A couple of years old, but it covers what is perhaps an obvious component of successful leadership, yet one that is considered a given by many people.  That component is trust.

This book offers some stories, self-assessments, suggestions and tips on how to figure out what sort of trust score you have and how to improve it.  If you lead people, read it.

“The Five Tempations of a CEO”, by Patrick Lencioni.  This is a book from 1998 and might be seen by some as being not sufficiently current to be useful.  One of the most oft-cited books on leadership is “The Prince” by Niccolo Machiavelli.  It remains relevant and instructional 500 years after being published.  So … read this book.  It is set in a style and manner that is reminiscent of “It’s a Wonderful World”; it’s a fable and a bit corny perhaps, but it talks about the most important leadership characteristics:  results, accountability, clarity, conflict, trust.  See, I tied the two books together!

 

Read them and let me know how they work for you.

Time Management is An Organization’s Responsibility, Not Just An Individual’s

Excerpted from a McKinsey article “Making time management the organization’s priority”, January 2013 by Frankki Bevins and Aaron De Smet

Leaders,  who want their organizations to be successful, must stop thinking about time management as primarily an individual problem and start addressing it institutionally. Time management isn’t just a personal-productivity issue over which companies have no control; it has increasingly become an organizational issue whose root causes are deeply embedded in corporate structures and cultures.

The problem can be tackled systematically. Senior teams can create time budgets and formal processes for allocating their time. Leaders can pay more attention to time when they address organizational-design matters such as spans of control, roles, and decision rights. Companies can ensure that individual leaders have the tools and incentives to manage their time effectively. And they can provide institutional support, including best-in-class administrative assistance—a frequent casualty of recent cost-cutting efforts.

See the full McKinsey Article – https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Making_time_management_the_organizations_priority_3048

Manage better by doing very simple things

Here is something that a supervisor shared with me the other day. He had taken part in a management training course we conduct and as part of the training I phoned him to provide some coaching around issues he was facing. One of the questions was about what his learning plan objectives would be. He said ‘I plan to be on the floor with the mechanics more.’ I probed a bit to see if there was anything else he was going to try to do, but that was the extent of it.

I thought it was brilliant. He didn’t pick three or four items – his workload would have short-circuited that.  He didn’t pick a new skill to develop – a new skill won’t help him manage his current situation and there isn’t any time for him to go off to a course or a secondment. What he did was this:

1. He looked at his situation and identified all that he had to do and assess what he could realistically take on, by way of changing how he manages.
2. He reviewed the short list and focused on the one possible course of action that – if successfully done – will make the biggest positive impact on his work environment.

By choosing to spend more time on the floor, he reasoned that he would be more accessible to employees, be in a position to better understand the ebb and flow of workload, and be available for immediate consultation by his direct reports for resolving technical situations, all resulting in increased productivity. For him, this will make a huge difference in achieving his objectives.

What’s the lesson?

1. Keep your development goals simple and straightforward.
2. Make the changes to your management style and practice that can be (relatively) easily incorporated into your current approach. Fine time, don’t reconstruct.
3. Look for ways to spend more time managing your staff face to face. All direct reports want more face time with their boss.

Let me know how that works for you.

“Am I allowed to do that?” – Supervisors Have to Deal with Workplace Issues

At the conclusion of a recent coaching session, I got the sense that the guy I was coaching was somewhat reluctant to take on a homework assignment that I had given him. When I told him that I sensed he wasn’t sure that he had the authority to take on the issue and the person we had been discussing, he readily agreed.

The issue we had spent time creating a solution for, was an employee who did a good job, but who was always challenging, defensive, dismissive, etc.  No matter what was said to him about how he did his job, he bristled and pushed back.  Many people had experienced this person’s style and universally it had negative impact on everyone he interacted with.

So I told the supervisor that yes, he had to take this on because the attitude was affecting the work environment: people didn’t want to work with him, supervisors avoided him and he was being passed over for promotion, despite his considerable expertise and experience. 

Anything that affects the workplace needs to be dealt with by a supervisor.  That isn’t to say that every behaviour should be viewed as something to be dealt with – somethings that people say or do are none of your concern.  But where they create a negative atmosphere at work, you must act.

What to do?

1. Provide feedback.  “When you pushed back and refused to accept my feedback about the problems that a client had with your behaviour, it made me feel that you were not taking responsibility for your actions.  In future, I want you to listen to what I have to say and reflect on what you could do differently.”

2. LIsten to his side of the story.  You may not know all that is going on in his life that might create such an attitude, and in truth, there isn’t a compelling reason for someone to be continually difficult to interact with … its a choice people make.  But it doesn’t hurt to listen, just in case there is something you missed.  Maybe he hates his job, maybe he doesn’t know how to express himself.  Try and find out so you have more options for solutions.

3. Keep in mind that it isn’t your responsibility to ‘fix him’.  But it is your responbility to ensure that no person or persons behaves in a way that gets in the way of the organizaiton achieving its objectives.  It may be enough to just get people to keep their negative thoughts to themselves while they were at work.

The entire discussion with the supervisor made me think of a situation a few years ago in which a manager, who had been listening to an employee  complain about everything in the work place, finally snapped.  She stood up and said to the employee …

“It isn’t my job to make you happy.”   

And that is what all managers and supervisors need to keep firmly in mind as they manage their direct reports.

Maple Leaf Hockey Leadership Poll

OK Leaf Nation.  I always write about managing, leading and change, so let’s go with leading.  The latest Maple Leaf debacle – the firing of Brian Burke.  For absolutely no points, no bragging rights and no money, please answer the following question.  Multiple answers are not allowed.  Please provide a rationale for your answer.  Go!

Managing is like … riding a horse!

I was coaching a supervisor yesterday and he commented that while he was spending lots of time with his direct reports, he wasn’t actively managing or leading them; in essence, he was working with them on a project, like a peer.  In the case of one rather difficult direct report, this approach was not working for this supervisor.  He felt he needed to be more proactive.

What he needs to do is be ‘on’ all the time with his direct reports.  He needs to realize that when he is with them in a work environment, doing work, he needs to understand that he is in his ‘manager’ or ‘leader’ role and act accordingly.  What does being ‘on’ look like?

It looks and sounds like this:  A manager weighs his words before they are uttered to ensure they are in keeping with his role.  Are the words appropriate to the situation?  Is the tone proper?  Am I providing direction and information such that my direct report can use it?  Generally, am I coming across like an objective, rationale manager who knows what he is doing?

All these things should run through your mind, more so if you are new to this type of thought process and less if you are a seasoned veteran.  I am not saying be worried about what you say and do, fearful of making a mistake.  I’m saying make sure you review your words before uttering them.  Make sure they are the right words for the situation, spoken in the right tone.

So, how is this like riding a horse?  Well, I recalled when I was taking riding lessons that my instructor said ‘every time you get on a horse you are either schooling it, or unschooling it.’  The point being that if you were schooling it, the horse was receiving the instruction it needed; if you were unschooling it, the horse was becoming more difficult to manage.  The same thing goes with managing and leading.  You are either actively managing and leading or just holding the title.  You must be ‘on’ and active in performing your role so that your direct reports continue to develop, grow and assist in achieving organizational objectives.

Let me know how that works for you.

Gulf of Pride

I was at a client’s Special General Meeting last night.  The organization’s members (it was a volunteer orchestral organization) called this meeting because they didn’t like what the Board had done.  Specifically, they didn’t like that the Artistic Director had been fired.  The issue was hotly debated for a couple of hours and the two positions were this:

1. The Board had no issue with the AD’s artistic ability, but he was a disaster on the administrative side.  He didn’t provide a vision, he wouldn’t take the Board’s input, he wouldn’t close on key decisions that were necessary to finalize the season, etc.  And he was rude and dismissive in his dealings with Board members.  He was impossible to work with.

2. The Orchestra loved the AD because he was ambitious and got them to play together beautifully.  They didn’t care about administrative issues, they only cared about making beautiful music.  He was heavenly to work with.

What became apparent is that a gulf was created between Board and Orchestra.  Neither side could see the other’s position.

In the end, a vote was taken and the Orchestra was successful in bringing back the AD.  The Board resigned en masse in response.

The organization is in turmoil with no apparent leadership in place, just 4 weeks before a major recital.  Disaster!

What could have averted this?

1. Better communication between the Board and the Orchestra.  While both sides should have reached out, the onus has to be on the Board as the acknowledged leaders to ensure that they convey their thoughts and plans and get sufficient input before making a move.  After all, firing an Artistic Director is a huge upheaval and not one to be done lightly.  By communicating, the Board would have had a better sense of how people would react and might have changed their approach to resolving the situation.

2. Focus on the important things and compromise.  Each side felt they had the angels on their side and refused to back down one inch.  Perhaps the AD could have been left to finish out the season, rather than being fired in the middle of it.

3. More connections.  The Board and the Orchestra did not meet regularly and the result was a lack of civility, understanding and respectful behavior.  No, the outcome does not constitute a tragedy by any stretch of the imagination, but it was fully avoidable.

Pride goes before a fall, yes.  At one point in the meeting, I asked both the Board and the Orchestra if being right was more important than putting the organization through turmoil and uncertainty in the middle of their season.  Nobody answered.

Change & Transition and New Year’s Resolutions

This year I am DEFINITELY doing it!

New Year’s resolutions fail not because they are too ambitious.  They fail because we do not adequately plan so we can be successful.  In most cases, resolutions are about eating right, drinking less, exercising more or similar lifestyle oriented objectives.  Yup, its 2013 … I am DEFINITELY losing 20 lb.s this year.  But we  don’t, do we?

If an objective is worth achieving, it deserves a plan and not only that, a plan that has a chance of success.  How do you do that?

Before you go one step further, before one more hour has passed, before you consider doing anything else like go to the gym or throw out all that peanut butter, do this:

1. Identify the Problem that you are trying to solve.  “I need to lose 15 pounds”

2. Create a Picture of what it will look like once you solve the Problem.  “I will look fabulous.  I will have a new wardrobe and a new girlfriend!”

3. Generate a Plan.   This is critical.   You need to identify all the steps you will take.  First identify the components … exercise, diet, etc.  What gym will you join?  When will you go?  What spinning classes will you attend?  What will my girlfriend look like?

Second, identify the obstacles.  What will keep me from being successful?  Does that mean I have to stay away from the pub on Thursdays?  Are my food choices wrong?  Do I eat at times that are keeping me from being the newer, smaller me?  For every obstacle, have a solution.

Third, put it all together and give it to your wife, girlfriend, mother, friend, whatever and get input.  They will tell you if it is a plan that will work or not.

Fourth, implement.

4. Part.  You are the key ‘player’ in this, but I suggest you include a few more people who can help.  A buddy to work out with.  A friend to help you shop better.  Including people makes it harder to not follow the plan because you won’t want to disappoint them.

5. Progress.  Make up one of those United Way type thermometer diagrams and put it on the wall beside the fridge.  Mark the final goal and the incremental milestones.  Measure only once a week and mark it.

Write all this down.  Now.  Good.

Now that you are perfectly set up for success with your diet, take the same approach to that problem at work.  It works exactly the same way.

Let me know how that works for you.