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Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Soon, Immediately, ASAP or Now?
Which of these would you do first? What is the difference?
I recently saw these four words on
different bullets on the same chart.
As a senior leader, which one do you
think I was supposed to react to? Should
I have to assume that “now” is before lunch but “immediately” is sometime
afterward? Or possibly, “ASAP” means
today where “soon” is sometime this week?
Communication is hard enough without using
words that seem to mean the same thing but don’t. There is a simple way to avoid this – use a date
and/or time. This is particularly true
when you are making commitments, describing risks or asking for help. Your leaders are pulled in many directions
and will react to the requests that are easily understood and input into “their
system.” To be a strong team player, you
need to understand the system and fit your needs into it.
Trust me, “soon, immediately, ASAP and
now” cannot be calendarized (I did not make up this word, but someone else did).
Do you find yourself or others talking
in general terms on exacting topics? How
do you help avoid this pitfall?
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Learning does not have to be Grand
“Are you Catholic?” Bala asked.
Experiences around the globe have
taught me the “politically correct” sensitivities of the United States are not universally
shared. Religion is a good example. It
is common in many places to ask a person their religion, particularly if you
think you might have something in common.
So it was that Bala, the driver, asked
me if I was Catholic. He was a kind man
and wanted to share his church if I answered yes. This was in India mind you and Catholics are
far from the majority. Infant JesusChurch (see photo) was in the village of Emjala in an unmapped area of Hyderabad
only 3 kilometers from the plant I was visiting. It was not St. Petersburg
cathedral, but very interesting and having Bala explaining the details and what
takes place here on Sundays in his broken English made it very worthwhile.
Like all major cities, Hyderabad has it
big sites – Chowmahalla Palace, the Golkonda Fort and Charminar among them. I had been there, done that. The locals said “you have seen it all Mr.
John.” It was not so. This small side
trip shows that cultural awareness and learning takes place with every little
exposure and each person you meet when you take the time to understand.
What small things are you exposing your
team to help their cultural awareness journey?
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Delaney’s Data
“How do you spell “pierce,” Delaney
asked her dad. Once getting it right, she
disappeared.
She is the cutest and smartest seven
year old you could possibly meet and I get to call her my niece. She was contemplating an earlier discussion she
had with her mom about the possibility of getting her ears pierced during her
next doctor check-up and wanted more data. When she was next found, she was on
the internet watching videos of kids getting their ears pierced and tracking
how many of the little girls cried versus not.
She had divided a paper into halves and her research data indicated that
about half the girls cried. Ultimately
the data did not prove or disprove her intuition.
Leaders need to have great intuition and
vision to be successful. They also need a way to test their theories to
understand the resulting success probability and/or the nature and difficulty of
obstacles they must overcome. Leaders
who master the ability to visualize and test intuitions are likely to increase
their chances of success and have the backing of the teams they lead.
Do you have a track record of testing
your hypothesis? How do you do it?
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Did I remember to say…
I’m not a big fan of “manufactured
holidays” or those so bloated by industry that they lost their original
meaning. But then again, it is SO
important to thank the people around us.
This is particularly true of people contribute so much toward our
success and get little credit.
Yes, I’m talking about the
administrative support we depend so heavily on.
While I would like to think I am good at remembering to thank people, it
is probably not likely the case. We can
all be better at it. A few years ago, I chose
to add a new thank you into my tool kit.
Every time things were particularly tense in the office area, I would ask
the office manager “Did I remember to tell you how much I appreciate your support
lately?” This little statement of
appreciate did wonders for breaking the tension and conveying a message. You have to mean it if you’re going to say it
thou!
Today is Administrative ProfessionalsDay (23 April). If you are not good at
remembering to thank your folks, this is a good reminder. Thank you again Sandy, Patti, Darleen, Gail
and Doris. You all contributed so much
toward the success of so many!
What tools do you have to remember to
thank people?
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
BASKET
For the longest time, I’ve coached and
mentored people on the use of the “3E’s” (Education, Experience and Exposure)
as the key components for self assessing your career situation. I learned them from Deane Hislop originally
and then saw the CISCO Career Makeover video (quite funny) where it was also used.
An odd coincidence happened as I was on
my way to watch the NCAA Final Four basketball games. I read a career mentoring article (sorry, I
cannot find it now to properly credit the source) and their guiding principle
was called “BASKET.” While the name might have been what originally caught my
attention, I ultimately liked the six elements:
·
Behavior
– the way you act (includes verbal and nonverbal communication)
·
Attitude
– your internal guidance system (this can make up for less talent)
·
Skills
– specific techniques (these are learned through repetition)
·
Knowledge
– this would be similar to the Education E (formal education and training)
·
Experience
– actual time in position (the opportunity to succeed and fail)
·
Talent
– the natural things you are born with (can be a negative if used wrong)
While I like the simplicity of the 3Es,
I also love bringing Attitude and Behavior into the discussion. We have all met very talented people who turn
us off!
What do you think of this
coaching/mentoring model? Do you think LiaV should transition to using it as
the primary model?
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
“Expectations remain the same”
Kansas University basketball coach,
Bill Self, said “the faces change, but the expectations remain the same” on a
TV advertisement. At long last I thought
I found an analogy where coaching sports did not align with other forms of
leadership.
Self was describing how the KU
basketball program has certain long term expectations and the players come and go.
The longest a player stays is four years. In business, it is the managers that come and
go quickly and the “team” is in place for the long haul. Each leadership regime comes in with their
own set of programs, goals, methods and expectations. On the surface, it sounds inconsistent.
After more thought, the expectations of
the team did not change as much as it might sound. In the aerospace industry, quality, safety
and precision are the foundation and independent of who is the leader. The same
concept is true in the customer service, high technology and entertainment
industries. The expectations at the top
level remain the same.
Do you ensure your teams understand the
top level expectations and create a culture supporting these expectations?
Monday, March 24, 2014
It’s easy to win - Give credit and take blame
At the risk of piling on, it is March
and you all know I’m a hoop fan.
While the emotion and drama of the NCAA
tournament are without equal, I look at the character of the participants,
particularly the coaches. Last year we
shared the Jimmy Valvano’s 1993 ESPY speech
that displayed amazing character in the face of grave adversity.
On a smaller scale, try to watch and
listen to the words of the losing coaches in the post game interviews. See what they say and how they say it in the
worst of times. This is when true character comes through. It is easy to be a winner. At the youngest of levels, the Boys & Girls
Club teaches “Win with character, lose with dignity.” Listen to the amount of ownership the head
coach takes in the loss. It says a lot. I
was taught to “Give credit and take blame.”
How about you as a leader in the work
setting? Do you take ownership of the
missed deadlines or failed efforts?
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Does anyone really care what LiaV says?
In the blog world, there are generally
three types of readers. All three read the posts. They differ in how they comment. There are
those that are actively engaged and respond often. Some are topically engaged and comment when a
post sparks an emotion. Last, there are “lurkers” who are always reading the
posts and never comment. This diversity
makes the Internet interesting.
You might have seen the comment of
Anonymous on 10 February. This reader
has commented in the past and appears to be topically charged. The question posed (Does anyone really care
what LiaV says?) seemed worth checking.
I have not gone to Feedburner in a while to check our statistics, so
here they are:
754 = Active LiaV email subscribers
515 = Active LiaV RSS feed push
subscribers133 = Active LiaV Blogger site subscribers
117 = Active LiaV Twitter subscribers
200 = Approximate number of site hits per day for over 111,890 total views
United States = Country with the most site hits (with England, Germany, Poland and India next)
Thank you for your engagement and participation.
Does anyone really care what LiaV says?
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Crush Washers
Returning home from a recent oil
change, my wife’s car sat in the garage slowly dripping oil from the drain
plug. This could be the sign of
something very minor (tighten the plug) or a big deal (stripped out oil pan).
Under further investigation, the head
of the drain plug snapped off when attempting to loosen it. The good news was that the additional repair
was limited to simply replacing the drain plug and crush washer (less than
$10). Why did the drain plug break? The crush washer is designed to compact as a
mechanic tightens the drain plug. It
actually makes the seal with the oil pan to stop drips. Once the washer is fully “crashed” it not
longer stops the drip and causes too much turque to be placed on the drain
plug. The crush washer costs less than a
dollar and should be replaced every oil change.
You can see from the photo that this crush washer is way over crushed
and should never have been re-installed (penny wise and dollar foolish). I like
to wonder what the mechanic was thinking when they put this washer back in and
what the leadership message was at the shop was that allowed him to think it
was ok.
It is easy to blame the mechanic. Leaders must realize that everything they do
sends a message to the team. Did the
shop owner rush the mechanic or say that they should save money on parts? Was
quality or volume the primary shop philosophy?
Do your leadership messages tell your
people to go fast and install bad crush washers or slow down and put in a good
one?
Friday, January 31, 2014
Over 900 Career Wins
As soon as I returned to Southern
California, old friends reached out to jump back into youth basketball
coaching. I enjoy teaching young players the fundamentals of
basketball, sportsmanship and to respect the game. At the same time, I saw that
Coach K at Duke achieved his 900th NCAA career victory. It made me wonder with our NJB/PCHoops 10
game season how long it would take me to get 900 victories.
Well – let’s just say it is going to be
a LONG time! Then a trusted colleague sent me this quote from LSU’s legendary basketball coach Dale Brown.
“The word coach was
first used back in the 1500s in England. A coach was a horse drawn
carriage used to transport a person from where he or she is to where he or she
wants to be, needs to be, or ought to be going.
All these years later, that is exactly what coaching should be about, but this
is most difficult to follow because of the pressure to win. Measuring the
success of a coach shouldn’t have anything to do with league titles, state
championships, national rankings, or national titles. It should have
everything to do with directing a program ethically and making good use of the
power coaches have to reach and teach young people about issues and ideas that
will carry them not only through a season…but through a lifetime.” Coach Dale Brown
Sweet –
Based on these criteria, I believe I have far more than 900 victories. All good leaders should measure themselves
based on the people they develop rather than the only P&L.
How
many victories did you have today? This week? This year?
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Wishing you the best for 2014
2013 was a a year full of personal and professional accomplishments. Many major international projects completed so we made our way back to Southern California to explore and see what next adventure presents itself.
Thank you for following and participating in LiaV. Whether you agree or disent, your thoughts and comments always make us think.
Be safe and enjoy the holidays with friends and family.
John
Monday, December 16, 2013
Sharp dressed man
The
window guy comes in to bid and he says “you understand how this all works.” The drywall texture company owner comes in
and he references “you look like you know what you’re doing here.” The stone guy visits and says he’s certain I’ll
have the structure in place to hold the granite safely.
For
the last 3 weeks I’ve been working a home construction/renovation project and
wearing clothes appropriate for the undertaking (painters pants, sweatshirt and
very worn steel toed work boots). Simply
having this “look” gave me credibility with these contractors bidding
jobs. It also drove a slightly lower
price. Nonverbal communication is always
important but this was a great reminder how what we wear gives us credibility whether
we deserve it or not. I can remember the
opposite happening one time when I was shopping for a suit while wearing
shorts, t-shirt and sandals. No sales person
would give me the time of day.
Leaders
need to remember that everything they do and say is watched, interpreted and
assessed by the team. Nonverbal
communication is often as important as verbal.
Whether it is your office arrangement, desk housekeeping, personal
affects or dress code, they all tell a story.
What
nonverbal clues do you send? Are you
managing this or just letting it happen?
Monday, November 4, 2013
Need a job or want to work here?
The
evening ranger program at Glacier National Park’s Many Glacier Campground started
at 7:30 pm sharp. Ranger Monica was
knowledgeable, energetic, personable and formally educated. She said as a kid she was so influenced by
the park rangers at Glacier that she decided to become one. She interned at Glacier each summer from
college and took a full time position upon graduation.
A lot of people want and/or need a job. We
try to determine if the fit is right through the interviewing process. I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to
tell the difference between someone who really wants or needs a job from
someone who really wants to work in your organization. The aerospace industry
has a distinct advantage. Most people
who study aerospace engineering really want to work for a reputable aerospace
firm doing tough stuff.
I
always thought Zappos (the on-line shoe folks) were onto something when they
offer new employees a “exit-bonus” after only a couple weeks on the job. The
idea is that people who really don’t want to be there will take the cash leave. The result is a group of employees that
really want to be in the organization. FYI – I just chatted on-line with
Heather at Zappos and in seconds she verified they still have this policy and
she did not take the cash offer to leave!
How
have you successfully separated the people that just want a job from those that
really want to be in your organization?
Has it worked?
Monday, October 28, 2013
Ti-Anse Team
When
McDonnell Douglas and Boeing merged, a Seattle guy explained to me the
difference between a “family” and a “team.” I was told a team selects and can
remove members. A family, on the other
hand, does not select members and you can never be kicked out. That made sense at the time, but it made me wonder
how a team with the positive attributes of a family would fare.
I got to see those results in practice on my recent Haiti mission. Our project engineer hand selected very specific people with the skills needed to accomplish the water system and pipeline installation task. We had an industrial plumber, machine operator, heavy machine mechanic, nurse, interpreter, equipment driver, finance manager, and some strong general helpers. The team came together during the journey to location (Ti-Anse, Haiti – in the far Northwestern region) and performed their assignments both individually and as a team. If you were wondering what I brought to the party – it was the ability to organize the group of 64 Haitian laborers and the conditioning to walk 10 miles a day overseeing the pipeline! Everyone brought something that only they had, but they also acted as a family caring for and helping one another. It was a classic example of putting the task before self.
I got to see those results in practice on my recent Haiti mission. Our project engineer hand selected very specific people with the skills needed to accomplish the water system and pipeline installation task. We had an industrial plumber, machine operator, heavy machine mechanic, nurse, interpreter, equipment driver, finance manager, and some strong general helpers. The team came together during the journey to location (Ti-Anse, Haiti – in the far Northwestern region) and performed their assignments both individually and as a team. If you were wondering what I brought to the party – it was the ability to organize the group of 64 Haitian laborers and the conditioning to walk 10 miles a day overseeing the pipeline! Everyone brought something that only they had, but they also acted as a family caring for and helping one another. It was a classic example of putting the task before self.
What
are your thoughts on the difference between team and family? Do you try to merge the tow concepts when you
lead?
Monday, October 14, 2013
Hotter than Haiti
Sometimes
opportunities present themselves that make no sense. I had no particular desire to visit Haiti and
no ties to any mission efforts.
As
often the case, helping others achieve their objectives turns out to be leadership
in action. In this case, my brother was
trying to bring water to the village of Ti-Anse in Haiti. He is a retired facilities project engineer
from General Motors with all the right skills to bring this project to
life. I was a guy with some extra time
at the moment. When asked, my immediate
reaction was “no”. Why would I want to
do this 10 day trip with no basic comforts?
When I changed the question to, “would I help someone accomplish their
objective?”, then answer changed to “yes”.
A very similar situation happened in my career when asked to go to
England to complete three MD-11’s in modification. I said no at first and then
was instructed to go. This was the
turning point where I worked internationally the rest of my career visiting
over 50 countries.
So
– as you read this LiaV post, I’m in Haiti and perhaps the 5 miles of pipe, 2
cisterns and distribution system are working.
How has helping someone else achieve their
goals caused you to grow and mature as a leader?
Monday, October 7, 2013
Man Camps (Unintended Consequences)
What
if someone told you that your community could have thousands of new jobs,
increased home values and lots of tax dollars to build roads and schools?Heading up Route 85 in North Dakota towards the northern entrance of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, we kept seeing what looked like poorly maintained camp grounds. There were groups of trailers and trucks down dusty driveways with very little shade. We were also on a camping trip, but these did not look like a place we would stop.
Talking
with the locals, we learned these were the “man camps” for the thousands of oil
workers that have arrived in North Dakota since the hydraulic fracturing(“fracking”) industry started. This is
not a blog about the pros or cons of fracking, but of the unintendedconsequences of growth and progress. ND
now sports the lowest unemployment rate in the nation. There are jobs for everyone. There are also overcrowded roads, massive
rent and real estate price increases, law enforcement challenges, crime that
was never seen before and the sense of “community” is disappearing. One law enforcement officer described it as a
return to the Wild West – cowboys with money, without wife’s, out doing
whatever they want. Only this time they
replaced the horses with new 4X4 pick-up trucks with rifle racks.
Independent
of your opinion on fracking, leaders in all situations must try their best to
consider the unintended consequences of their decisions. Benchmarking others is a great way to do
this. It is amazing what can be learned
from a simple phone.
What
“no brainer” decisions have you reversed once you learned the unintended
consequences?
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Banker’s Hours
Would
you put your money in a bank that was only open 9-9:30am Saturday
mornings? What if the bank only accepted
6 clients? Would you bank where no interest is paid (like now) and the only
loans available were from the other 5 members and terms were negotiated during
the short Saturday session? What if the
funds were kept in a locked tin box (see photo) kept in the freezer of a
refrigerator locked on the back porch?
So
it was in the Bishop home growing home. Once
we started to earn money, we needed someplace to put it. When we were 14 we could open an official
bank account at the local FDIC backed bank on Main Street. The current participants would all gather
around the table and my mother would “open” the bank. Deposits were made, withdraws taken and loans
made. Even if you had no immediate transaction,
you showed up to watch the action and count your worldly treasurer. This process clearly taught us the value of
things, the importance of saving, risk management and negotiation skills.
Understanding
and managing value and perceptions of fairness are an important part of the
leader’s job. Statistics show that many people
leave jobs due to feeling undervalued or underutilized. Having a clear and accurate estimation of the
value we each create helps keep this equation in balance.
How
are you helping your team understand their value? Are you helping them increase it daily?
Sunday, September 8, 2013
CT2CA
· 6658 miles (5147 in the Tahoe, 1261 on the Harley and 250 pedaled on the beach cruisers).
· 34 nights (8 campgrounds, 6 hotels, 3 family stays).
· 15 states and 2 countries (not counting entering Wisconsin 3 times – long story).
· 17 family members visited (2 parents, 8 siblings, 3 in-laws, 4 niece/nephews).
· 12 wild animal sightings (grizzly and black bears, bison, elk, deer, wolf, coyote, horses, prairie dogs, wild turkey, mountain goat and llama).
· 6 national parks (Apostle Islands, Theodore Roosevelt, Glacier, Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens and Cater Lake).
· 1 jump start needed.
· 1 motorist assisted (a local in Montana).
· 1 ticket warning (missed that darn stop sign in the middle of nowhere).
· 758 photos taken (2 iPhones and a Pentax).
· 1,000,000 mosquitoes (it actually was not bad except at Bobcat Lake State Park in Michigan where we were attacked by swarms).
Observations
during travel:
· People have way too much stuff. There were self storage business in the most remote places.
· Wire ties are the new duct tape. They fix anything.
· Everyone has an interesting story if you take the time and effort to engage.
· 98 MPH in 660 feet is fast no matter what Tom says.
· There are jobs in America. You might have to go where they are (like North Dakota).
· America is truly a remarkable and beautiful place.
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