Sixth Man Captain

After a credible high school basketball career at McCann Technical School in rural western Massachusetts, I was invited by Coach Steve Atkins to try out for the Springfield Technical Community College basketball team. Seemed like a no brainer.

It was 4:00 PM at the old Springfield National Guard Armory and time for tryouts. This was different and the start of a life-changing experience. The players at this session could shoot, jump, block shots, dribble like the ball was part of their hand and see everything happening on the court. What else was different for me? I was the only white guy to make the team.

When you play with players more talented than yourself, you find that you can make up for certain things by working harder, being more intense, focusing on fundamentals, studying the completion and demonstrating leadership skills. These efforts earned me a solid sixth man position and the role as team captain. Not only was I learning valuable diversity lessons that would be carried far into my career, I also learned firsthand that leaders can be recognized and appreciated by being one of the starters.

This life lesson formed many of my long-term beliefs about diversity and the value of hard work. Have you ever been the talent underdog? How did you overcome it?

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$50 Billion spent annually learning about Gen Y!!

$50 Billion spent annually learning about Gen Y!!

Seems kind of crazy, but $50 Billion (yes with a ‘B’) is the estimate provided by Morley Safer in the 11 November 2007 “60 Minutes” segment called “The Millennials Are Coming.” If you have not had the opportunity to view this video, you might want to. It is not necessarily flattering for the Gen Ys, but it is something leaders at all levels do not think about and learn from often enough.

Here is a simple idea – why doesn’t each of us get a 22-year old mentor and learn for nothing?

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Drowned in Diversity

What do Billy Talent, MIA, The Liars, Dr. Dog, Superchunk, Ida Maria, Thenewno2 Glasvegas and Calexico have in common with Paul McCarthy and Booker T? You might be saying, “Say what?” All were exciting acts at the 2009 Coachella Art and Music Festival in the Indio desert in California this weekend.

Each year, I take the opportunity to do something I truly enjoy (learning new bands and types of music) and total immersing myself outside people like myself. If you really want to know what the Gen Y’s are up to, hang out with 60,000 of them for the weekend. Listen to the music, learn the lyrics, observe the clothes, read the logos on the shirts and just as importantly, notice what they are not doing. I still remember the reaction of the fans from watching the youngster walking around with the red and white AIG soccer shirt.

It is critical that leaders take overt actions to place themselves outside of their comfort zone for the purpose of learning and expanding their capability. The same concept is true with participating in experiences that expand your knowledge and comfort with diverse people different from yourself.

What do you do to continue to expand your diversity comfort zone?

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The best way to do something new

The topic of “creating the need for change” has always intrigued me.

The other day I was talking to a retiring CEO who described to me the things he planned to pursue in his next “career.” They were noble and important things he never had time for before. In the same sentence, the CEO told me how he had canceled his subscriptions to Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and a couple other publications. I was surprised in that I thought he would have more time to read these things so I asked. He simply said, “They do not fit in with my new priorities.”

It reminded me how at the start of many of the corporate all-hand meetings leadership classes I often inquired if the attendees had been to this location before, if they parked in the same place and if they walked the same route. Unless you do something overt to create change (or learning) to take place, it will not.

So – the best way to do something new is to stop doing something old. The simple act of changing your routine as a leader will cause you to learn and meet different people. I was once on the executive floor of one of our buildings. In practicing what I preached, I decided for a couple of weeks to get off the elevator on whatever floor was already pressed when I got in and spend 5 minutes walking around. I was amazed at how many people I met and the cool things they were working on.

What can you do differently tomorrow to create positive change?

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Leadership Success is Measured When You Leave

I had the opportunity to have a networking lunch with the retiring CEO of a very successful technology company. He was one of the original ten employees, grew the company to over 500 teammates and took the company public on NASDAQ. While he was in the middle of the transition to the new CEO, he moved out of his office, encouraged the team to go to his replacement with issues and focused on mentoring the new CEO.

What struck me was the importance he placed on the success of the organization as he exits. He told me the he was measuring his leadership success based on how well the team does without him. If the team struggles, then he did not achieve the level of team development he had hoped. While we have talked about “exiting with grace” on LiaV, this takes it to another level. While there may have been a time when it was about him, now it is completely about the team.

Have you had the opportunity to see a role model leadership exit? What did it look like?

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Don’t Underestimate Susan!!!

This leadership lesson needs no words from me!

WATCH THIS VIDEO of Susan Boyle and you will be reminded of the importance for leaders to give first impressions time to mature (it is 7 minutes).

Thomas Magness’ blog “Leader Business – Battle tested leadership strategies and business leaders” brought it to my attention and I had to share with you.

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“Simple Competence” – Leadership and the Peter Principle

As a young manufacturing engineer aspiring to a successful career, it drove me crazy when my seniors would suggest I needed more time to mature and develop foundation skills to become a strong leader. My argument, like many young people, was that the only way to get experience was to do the higher level job.

This all seemed to make sense and I stuck with this belief. This weekend I read Robert Sutton’s article in Business Week about the 40th anniversary edition of “The Peter Principle” by Dr. Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull that might have swayed my opinion. The general rule was “anything that works will be used in progressively more challenging applications until it fails.” You might have heard the narrow career version where “managers will be promoted to their level of incompetence.” Sutton’s point was that sometimes we should praise and reward competence.

If we believed we had some level of best performance, would we be more patient in our careers?

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A rare breed – Web 2.0 savvy executives

I engaged in my first blog posting at the coaching of a group of Gen Y “mentors” who asked me to use blogging to “mentor the masses.” It was uncomfortable and I had to unlearn many of the skills that made me successful in business. I had to write in the first person, present personal perspectives and have stated opinions otherwise, it would be just another company website.
As it turns out, these skills are valued in the business world, and executive search firms have this talent as a new requirement in their current searches. A recent article on CFO.com titled “But What’s Your Screen Name? - Companies need executives with Web 2.0 know-how, but many are struggling to catch on” by Alan Rappeport explains why executives with strong Web 2.0 understanding and experience bring in top dollar.

If you are hearing about blogs and want to learn more, a good place to start is to read the domain blogs you are interested in and perhaps comment once in a while. Executives might gain as much street credibility in blog-land by supporting as they would by hosting. If you want more insights or ideas, you may appreciate Mike Hyatt’s “Corporate Blog Handbook” ideas posted on “Working Smart.”

Have you had to unlearn skills to be successful in Web 2.0-land?

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It’s all perspective – Leaders understanding generations

It’s all perspective – Leaders understanding generations

A couple months ago, I was checking and sending a few emails on a Sunday evening. I was catching up and the notes were not anything particularly important that needed answered before Monday morning.

Before I was finished sending the email notes, one of them was answered by a Gen Y teammate. Half in jest and half serious, I emailed back that she should not be “working” on Sunday evening. I thought the topic was closed, but the next morning I had another one of those boomer learning moments. Luckily, the teammate from the prior evening knew she could come and talk about leadership topics even if I had something to learn. She explained that my “not working Sunday night” comment showed that I did not fully understand that the Gen Y culture. That the Gen Y’s were always connected and answering a quick email was not always considered “work.” From her perspective, “boomers work too much, Gen X wants a work / life balance and Gen Y blends work and play.” Although these are stereotypes, it was an interesting new way to view at such a simple topic.

What do you think of this generalization? What are some of your experiences with various generations and their work preferences?

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Weren’t we done with that?

I “virtually” ran into an old friend and trusted colleague the other day. I was networking with a prominent senior executive on the East coast and he referred me to Jane as the person who knew the answer to my question.

Jane is a educated, experienced and capable individual I had the privilege to lead many years ago. She is now an executive leading an important transformation initiative at a Fortune 100 company. In our conversation, Jane mentioned there were still a few men in the organization that were struggling with the idea of working for a woman in a leadership role. That set me back. I uncomfortably laughed and said, “Weren’t we done with that decades ago?” Having grown up with a working mom, six older sisters that could kick my butt, and now being married to an extremely talented executive who has eight professionally educated sisters, what Jane was telling me was not in my immediate world.

I’ve been curious how many men still struggle with the gender of the person in the leadership role above them. Is it more the leader and their capability or these external attributes that make up the leader?

What have you observed? Do you have ideas we can all learn from?

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Hoop Heaven – Diversity or not?

Greetings from Detroit, Michigan. Home of the 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four.

The excitement builds from making sure the binoculars are in the luggage, through the plane rides as fans start to collect, to arrival where the mega NCAA banner welcomes you to Detroit, to the game opening tip-offs and exciting victories. It is a haven for basketball fans.

As a leader and student of people, this is either an extremely diverse or a completely homogeneous crowd. The case of homogeneous = predominantly male, lots of blue jeans, khaki’s and baseball caps, above average height, generally in the 30 to 50 age group and love college hoops. The case for diversity = they come from all over the nation, represent almost every college (large and small, and whether they attended or not), make up every race, cover every level of athletic capability and speak many languages.

The venue and purpose are clearly the same. Enjoy the competition and event.

Whether you are a sports fan or not, how do you view the diversity of this crowd?

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“Things you own end up owning you” - Leaders find what motivates

For whatever reason, I’ve always been a form of a minimalist. I’m the type of person that does have extra stuff and prefers not to replace things until absolutely necessary. This trait is certainly in vogue with today’s economy.

When I first heard the quote in the 1999 cult movie The Fight Club, “things you own end up owning you,” it made me smile. Later, bands like Papa Roach and Bleed in Vain would see the same thing I did and use it in their lyrics.

As a leader, it makes me thrifty, someone who wants expenditures justified and a person that can envision a lean operation free of clutter and inventory. Those who have visited my office can vouch that it is sparsely decorated and only work-in-progress is out. As a member of a team, I am more motivated by the opportunity to work on the difficult assignments than being rewarded with “stuff.” Knowing I am at one extreme of a continuum, I have been careful to observe others and be sure to recognize them as they prefer. This means to do it differently than what I like.

Have you carefully made this assessment when you recognize teammates? Have you lessons to share?

For the extreme minimalist, here is a look at The Story of Stuff with Anne Leonard.

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“No early swiping” - Leaders start from a basis of trust

The large conference center was filling up quickly. Teammates of all types were joining in. The folks that work on the factory floor were mixing with office workers and top leadership. It was a mandatory ethics training event and last year’s class was quite interesting. In the middle of the “finding a seat” process, you could hear the administrative team calling out “no early swiping.” “No early swiping.”

The concept was that credit for attending the class was to be provided upon completion when each teammate would swipe their badge through the electronic proximity scanner. The implied assumption was that if the scanning was done upon completion, then it assured full session attendance. Unfortunately, the teammates that attended this training in the past knew there was going to be a sizable queue at the end and simply wanted to avoid this waste of time. Thus, the call for “no early swiping.”

It seems like many times when leaders try to second guess the integrity of the people we lead, the intent is misjudged. Whether it is early swiping or providing the tools to get a job done most expeditiously, we often build procedures for the 99th percentile individual. This is costly and impacts morale. Procedures and processes for the masses are typically fine.

Have you been able to ensure your processes are not overly cumbersome? Have you had luck eliminating any?

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Self scored Quiz – Leadership Pioneer Series

There were 18 pioneers shared over the last couple weeks in our Management, Quality and Leadership 101 refresher series. Many of our LiaV readers and commenter’s gave other suggestions and fantastic reminders of other key contributors.

Here is a self scored quiz – only two questions and one demographic:

• How many of the 18 pioneers had you ever heard of?

• How many of the pioneers could you generally say what their contribution was?

• Are you a Gen Y, Gen X, Boomer or WWII Generation?

For example – prior to writing the series my answer would have been – I had heard of all 18, I could remember the contributions of 15 without looking and I’m technically a boomer, but really Generation Jones!

What are your answers?



Management Pioneers:
• 1911 Principles of Scientific Management Fredrick Taylor
• 1943 Theory of Hierarchy of Needs Abraham Maslow
• 1946 Concept of the Corporation Peter Drucker
• 1954 The Practice of Management Peter Drucker
• 1968 Motivation-Hygiene Theory Fredrick Hertzberg
• 1933 The Social Problems of an Industrialised Civilization (Human Relations Theory Hawthorne Effort) Elton Mayo
• 1960 The Human Side of the Enterprise (Theory X/Theory Y) Douglas McGregor

Quality Pioneers:
• 1951 Quality Control Handbook (Quality Trilogy) – Joseph Juran
• 1963 Guide to Quality Control (Quality Circles) – Kaoru Ishikawa
• 1981 Study of The Toyota Production System - Shigeo Shingo
• 1986 Out of Crisis – W. Edward Deming
• 1988 Quality and Reliability Engineering (Quality Loss Function) – Genichi Taguchi

Leadership Pioneers:
• 1978 – Leadership Theory – John McGregor Burns
• 1986 Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge - Warren Bennis / Burt Nanus
• 1988 - In Search of Excellence – Tom Peters
• 1988 - Management of Organizational Behavior Kenneth Blanchard
• 1992 – I Want You To Cheat – Service Industry – John Sedden
• 1994 – Leadership Without Easy Answers – Ronald Heifetz,
• 1997 Leader's Companion – J. Thomas Wren

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NBA role model? - Leaders whether we like it or not

Let me start by stating, I am not a big Kobe Bryant fan. While he is an unbelievable basketball talent, he could be doing so much more to help our community, country and the world. Besides the fact, he is not a Celtic.

A key leadership trait is the ability to recognize improvement when it does occur. I’ve had bosses in the past where once you are placed in the “penalty box” there is absolutely no way out and I promised myself I would never do this to others. This brings me back to Kobe. I get my information the same way most of us do – the evening news and post game interviews. The words used in these interviews are very telling.

In the immediate post Shaq era, Kobe would use the word “they” when talking about his team during an interview after a loss. He separated himself from the team. A few years later, he attempted to take a leadership role and started using the word “I” when talking about the team performance. While somewhat better, this sounded like he was the only guy out there. The last couple seasons Kobe has further tried to establish his role as a leader and the word “my” team is often used. Again, it is an improvement, but who wants to be on a team owned by one of the other players.

Kobe Bryant started in the NBA when he was eighteen years old. We would expect him to mature. It is my guess that when we hear him use the words “we” and “our” when talking about the team, there will be national championship parades in town again. Watch out Celtics.

Have you seen single words used in powerful leadership ways?

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Understanding the blind spots – Leader’s weaknesses and mentoring others

As a long time motorcyclist, I know the importance of constant situational awareness. This includes my mental state, the mechanical performance of the cycle, security of cargo and attentiveness of my favorite passenger. This does not even account for the countless traffic and road conditions around me.

We typically consider “blind spots” to be those areas to our sides and back that we cannot see very well during driving using mirrors. The rider must do something extra ordinary to maintain safety. I have found that blind spots exist in our leadership and job performance skills in the same way. In working with many people over the years I’ve found that providing them with a tool to help them identify their work “blind spots” has been quite helpful.

The “Important-Urgent” grid above has helped many of my mentees over the years understand how to deal with priorities, eliminate fire drills, balance the time-quality trade-off and remove unneeded tasks. Here are my typical findings:

• Urgent/Important – You get fired if these don’t get done!
• Urgent/Not Important – These get too much effort for the value and often could have been anticipated.
• Not Urgent/Important – The most common blind spot. Unfortunately too many leaders put performance reviews, communication and mentoring in this group.
• Not Urgent/Not Important – To who? Make sure you and your boss agree on the category, limit the task, extend the due date or get these officially canceled.

Do you use this or a similar model for finding your blind spots or when helping others?

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“Leadership” 101 Refresher - Leadership Perspective (Part III)

This is part three of a three-part leadership refresher series. “Those that do not study history are doomed to repeat it.”

I was talking to a group of highly competent, intelligent Gen Y mentees the other day with reference to some of the pioneers of leadership. I noticed that with all the leadership books on the market, they were missing the foundation to communicate to the boomers in leadership positions today. From that, I decided a good leader really does need to understand the pioneers of management, quality and leadership theory.

These are the leadership pioneers that most influenced my early thoughts about leading people. I would describe all of the pioneers, but that would not be blog-like, therefore, each has a link to a more thorough source.
• 1978 – Leadership Theory – John McGregor Burns
• 1986 Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge - Warren Bennis / Burt Nanus
• 1988 - In Search of Excellence – Tom Peters
• 1988 - Management of Organizational Behavior Kenneth Blanchard
• 1992 – I Want You To Cheat – Service Industry – John Sedden
• 1994 – Leadership Without Easy Answers – Ronald Heifetz
• 1997 Leader's Companion – J. Thomas Wren

For some of us, this is like a walk down memory lane. Others may not be as familiar with them. One thing for sure, we owe it to the people we mentor to help them build their foundations on the theories of the original pioneers.

Are there any pioneers you would have added to this list? Will you share it with your mentees?

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Recognition Hierarchy - Leadership awareness

Years ago, I was part of an organization that conducted and attempted to use the results of an annual employee satisfaction survey. It seemed that each year the very large team I led was asking for improved recognition for their accomplishments. For the longest time, those of us on my leadership team would respond by doing more recognitions with little improvement in the scores. This was true until we re-assessed the way we looked at recognition and created a recognition hierarchy.

The lowest tier of the hierarchy is simply paying everyone the personal respect they desire. This included talking to your people, thanking them for what they do (which starts with knowing what they do) and celebrating key events and accomplishments. Each leader within the organization had to understand this basic role. Without reducing the first tier, the next step was to create an environment that let people shine. Leaders visited the team in their location (what Tom Peters called “MBWA”), let them present important work to company leadership and told their success stories to others. The highest form of recognition was to be given the most important and challenging assignments and to be recognized within one’s profession, both inside and outside the company.

While this is a very simplified view of how our team overcame the recognition challenge, it worked. Higher recognition scores on the survey did not result from giving more awards, they resulted from doing it better and in a more systematic way.

Have you created a similar approach for recognition? How has it worked?

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Wrong way Sean - Leaders need to remember the littlest things

As we head into my favorite season (no, not Spring - the NCAA tournament), I’m reminded what happened to the youth basketball all-star team I coached last year at this time.

As the coach, the league provided me with ten of the best players and we had enough practices to be prepared. The gym was packed with parents, families and fans. Only the center court was used so the bleachers could be pulled out and the main scoreboard was lit up.

With seven (7) seconds remaining we were up by one point and were taking the ball out of bounds at the far end of the court. The other team called a time out to set up a full court press. We had practiced a press break play and we reviewed it with the kids. As with the teams we lead at work, once you send them back to the court, they are on their own to make snap decisions. Jake takes the ball out of bounds, Chad picks for Sean just as planned. THEN – Sean lays the ball up into the wrong basket and the game is over. After we consoled the kids and accepted the runner-up medals, I asked myself what I should have done.

It was a simple answer. In times of great stress and challenge, never leave the little things to chance. The leader is the sound of reason and calm. Walk the team through the total play and not just the element you believe will be the most difficult.

What would you have learned from this experience? Have you had a similar situation?

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Live and Learn – A leadership responsibility

I attended the retirement party for a colleague the other day. In his closing comments he provided a quote that I liked, wrote down and wanted to share with you. "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi) It struck me because so many people approach their careers (and life) in such an opposite manner. As they become older they are less willing to take a risk and attempt to learn new things.

Just think about the number of baby boomers that have not yet engaged in the Web 2.0 world. You can probably count the number of bosses you know that have embraced the technologies now available to improve their skills and communication with their team’s on one hand. Now there is a risk using web 2.0 also. As an executive masters the skill, they isolate themselves from their peers and bosses. They achieve results these others may never understand and this may scare the others. While Ghandi did not contemplate web 2.0, he did understand the endless progression of knowledge.

What ideas do you have for continuously enhancing your skills while not alienating your peers and superiors?

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