Leadership Excellence

Good is not Good Enough

Every so often the contents of a book resonates: indeed opens ones eyes to a divergent point of view.  Manfred Kets de Vries in his " The Leader on the Couch" takes a clinical approach to changing people and organizations.  He slices, dices, moves the pieces of the human psychological puzzle around in delineating how leaders come to be.

In addition, de Vries closes "  with a call for authentizotic ( how's that for a new word) organizations where leaders walk the talk, people feel alive and all are called to give their very best.

Ah yes, my current mantra -- " Good is not good enough"...

Take Less -- To Survive

Hiring managers today ( let's forget about the myth of the growing economy) receive significant numbers of resumes from "overqualifed candidates". Individuals who have been downsized, laid off, had their jobs outsourced, etc... in other words they have bills to pay, families to feed, and no income.  They are, in a word, desperated.

Conventional wisdom held that these individuals would take a new job and then leave when a position opened that more closely matched their skill base.  Therefore, recruiters put the resumes on the " see you later" pile. Sometimes, interviews took place... again, employers deferred, not taking a risk with "overqualified" managers and executives who pleaded for a job in sales, or a 2nd-3rd tier position in manufacturing management.

Outsourcing has increased. Here in the upper midwest major layoffs occur as companies relocated to warmer, non union environments. The upshot is many jobs will never reappear. Housing prices are unstable: families have been in the area for generations with deep roots. The result -- a surplus of overly skilled workers.

What would you do if you were an employment manager?

Ideas and Cold Showers

Thoughts and ideas sometimes converge and almost attack one -- there are so many -- and then there is the desert.

Randy Loch  of MAXX Inc. in Darien, WI relayed how he motivated his sales staff by changing the conversation of sales vs production. His advice -- sell it and manufacturing will find a way to get the hardgoods produced.  And production met the challenge everytime

Similarly, while browsing through blogs this evening, I encountered the ideas of several gurus who espoused " Thinking Big".  So often we base plans, decisions, judgments on what we know, or what is safe

 

We work out the gym to expand our physical capacities. How about mental gymnastics an hour a day to expand our imaginations and creativity? Contemplating how to enhance our horizons should be worth at least an hour of personal challenge.

Leaders Who Give to Charity

The Great Plains suffered through a 10 day period of near zero web chill index temperatures. Some people stayed home from work. Others hid out in the malls. Still others climbed aboard the snow bird express and fled to warmer climates.

Then there are the leaders of charity and good works. Those brave individuals who stand in the cold, some for consecutive hours, to ring the bells for the Salvation Army. For many this is an annual crusade. They may keep their charity giving on a low key basis for most of the year.  Not now -- the poor need them.

Some volunteers are financially successful -others not: Some are well known in the local community - others not. Here in the midwest it gets dark and cold early -- but the bell ringers carry on: some for year after year.  An amazing portrait of America emerges from among the givers. We as a society teach our children at a very early age  the value of givng: of putting coins and rolled up dollar bills in the kettle.. Those who drive by to the parking lot in cars with rust: belching engines, leaky mufflers -- they come back and contribute --more than they can afford.

So let's hear it for the volunteers and givers -- America has a generous heart.

OutSourcing - Leadership and Management

Kyle McFarlin commented on my recent blog which discussed the purchase of a snow blower. Interesting- Kyle put forth the idea of "outsourcing"  the snow removal operation.  Hadn't thought of that -although the only teenager on our block was haranged by his father to get out of the house and help clean the driveway.

In a broader sense, though, Kyle has an excellent point.   My "snow removal world " ((( remember Who Moved My Cheese))). is about 3 blocks square. I could have advertised in the free local paper in September .... or put up a note in a local restaurant or church etc etc.The point is .... leadership is acting outside of the norm: standing on a higher ladder to look out over the rooftops... bringing more project team members into the conversation to collect more viewpoints.

Yes, our nieghborhood has changed... a generation has graduated from high school and moved onto college and professions... but winter continues to arrive and snow is inevitable.... What are you doing to prepare and lead for the next inevitable challenge at your workplace or in your life?

Thanks Kyle

OutSourcing - Leadership and Management

Kyle McFarlin commented on my recent blog which discussed the purchase of a snow blower. Interesting- Kyle put forth the idea of "outsourcing"  the snow removal operation.  Hadn't thought of that -although the only teenager on our block was haranged by his father to get out of the house and help clean the driveway.

In a broader sense, though, Kyle has an excellent point.   My "snow removal world " ((( remember Who Moved My Cheese))). is about 3 blocks square. I could have advertised in the free local paper in September .... or put up a note in a local restaurant or church etc etc.The point is .... leadership is acting outside of the norm: standing on a higher ladder to look out over the rooftops... bringing more project team members into the conversation to collect more viewpoints.

Yes, our nieghborhood has changed... a generation has graduated from high school and moved onto college and professions... but winter continues to arrive and snow is inevitable.... What are you doing to prepare and lead for the next inevitable challenge at your workplace or in your life?

Thanks Kyle

Interviewing the Successful

Calm, cool, collected, self assured.  Earning well in 6 figures at 31... he exuded self confidence. We had identified project behavioral areas of concern  based on the Profile XT.  The canidate parried and danced, showing the elegant footwork of the successful leader and sales person.

Then it happened... he volunteered being a voracious reader. What are the last 3 books you've read... he listed them --and indicated John Grisham's works are too low caliber.  Hmmm... why did you choose to read those you've identified.... Well, he said, they are all written after early American, you know just before the Beatles, the 60's etc.  Suprised --I inquired as to what he meant by early America - the 50's he replied: America began in the 1950's.... I must admit at being caught off guard by this MBA, highly read candidate from the West Coast.  He went on to say his choices are in line with his beliefs... progay rights, pro anti gun, pro abortion, pro liberal causes, pro socialist.  And all this went he knows he is applying for a sales poisition in a firm which is super conservative.

Ok-- I asked - tell me about who you are.... flushed, nervous in his chair, he talked about his dogs, his college grades, his drive for money..... There are times in an interview when what a candidate doesn't tell you is more relevant than what he/she says. When a candidate talks about his dogs but not his personal history or his family.... when this obviously very bright candidate cannot describe a "feeling"....

Lots of questions remain.  A leader moves others through transparent values, modeling, and giving something of themselves.  Where does this ego driven fit in?

Random Acts Of Kindness & Leadership Values

An important value of Rotary International  is " Service Above Self"... the obligation of individual members to commit time, resources, energy to acting with compassion to others in need --above their own self interests.

A parallel is the fairly recent concept of " Random Acts of Kindness". The extending of a helping hand, a charitable act, to others on an unplanned, unsolicted basis.  This can be as simple ( but dramatic) as giving way to another on the freeway, sharing your birthday cake to a neighbor (especially in our sometimes faceless communities etc.

I may have missed this concept along the way in the many years of attending management training and motivational seminars... but how much of a difference would corporate life be if " random acts of kindness" became part of the value system.  If we put aside our rush to be first, to be successful, to present our unique ideas before anyone else cornered the boss?  Kind is a word we don't hear much about as our society becomes rough around the edges. Kindness has become synonomous with soft, gullible, easily defeated.

Who will have the sign " Kindness begins here" above the entrance to their office or plant?

Dissing Performance Appraisals

Researching material for a seminar presentation on Performance Management, I came across an illustration of why some information dispensed by "experts" on the internet are to be taken with, well shall we say, a questioning mind.

The attrributes of various performance appraisal situations is always a bell ringer. Evaluative criteria, halo rankings, lack of training by the manager, two way frankings etc etc.  For many employees it's their 15-30 minutes of fame per year. They get to sit with the boss and hear how much of a salary increse they will receive -- plus the good and bad news about their performance.  The boss may be unprepared but both parties suck it up and go on about their business. a perfect system --no way... Better than no system - absolutely. 

A renowned consultant on the internet recommends goal setting, a sophisticated 360 evaluation process for all employees in every type of work with every degree of education and training.  Give me a break.  The best appraisal is often noted as being a blank sheet of paper -- the employee and manager have a frank discussion about work performance and life goes on.  I don;t recommend this approach for admin, technical, and mangerial positions where goals, MBR, and 360's are invaluable. But let's give production supervisors and workers a break... well designed evaluative criteria, year long documentation and an honest discussions are the critical elements.

Leaders in Constant Motion

Much is written about managing change. The " Who Moved my Cheese" book is a continuing best seller.  The well written theme explores the consequences of adaptation and resistence to change.. Ah yes, the adaptors prosper and succeed. Terrific metaphors for business plans as well as successful leaders and entreprenneurs.

I have an idea for a new book...  well, at least a pamphlet: There are leaders who don't just move the cheese and deposit it: they continue to move the cheese. Never satisfied with a business solution: always seeking to change the production process: dissing their firm's leaders in the process of replacing them with bright new talent.  They constantly examine and adapt business plans. Discussing advertising on his radio show yesterday, Jim Rhome asked the question: If you are selling 9 million bottles of soda --why would you break the advertising scheme? A very good question.

Leaders in seemingly directionless motion.  Anyone thought about the impact on employees? Or do we denigrate the employees with the mantle of " they just can't stand change?