I worry that I have posted several articles now, but I have not been forthcoming with my own shortcomings.

I haven’t paused to share my introspection.  I haven’t demonstrated my own humility.

1. In my life I have been accused of being arrogant, dismissive, walking over people, and so on.  I was first faced with this “feedback” by a classic, power-hungry, manager; someone whose inclination to lead rather than control is less than 0%.  It is null.  The chances of this person ever being revered, inspirational, or even just adored are null.  Less than zero.

It turns out I was failing to acknowledge the thoughts and opinions of others before I offered up my own perspectives.  In doing so, my coworkers felt as though I was dismissing them without regard, and dominating the conversations with my own opinions, and therefore I was arrogant.  I would feel the same way.

Much thanks to my brother-in-law for helping me understand.  (My classic monolithic manager couldn’t explain it, and was then literally mad at me when I resigned!) It was an invaluable lesson.  But to say I have overcome this challenge would be a lie.  I still struggle with hearing others out, but often because I feel like the problem is crystal clear before they finish or others have had a chance to weigh in.  Other times, I may quickly recognize that the problem they are describing is one I have seen before, and because of that, I may not entertain them as they talk/work through the problem.

In the end, it doesn’t change the fact that I can give others the wrong impression of my intentions – and in doing so I may alienate them.  It is my problem.

2. Regarding seeing straight through to the underlying issue, I have come to learn that many people need to have the opportunity to peel the layers of a problem away until they finally reach the root of it.  To complicate things, my delivery can be very candid at times, and I think sometimes the combination of my candidness combined with others’ unwillingness to take ownership for a problem can be a lethal mix.  I do work on it.

But, again, this is my problem – not theirs.

3. I don’t know how to articulate this one, so I will talk through an example of it.  ”Victims”.  I refer to people being victims a lot.  I use it as a catchall term which is a little sensational, a little dramatic, but is intentionally startling to move the notion into the front of someone’s conscience – and the word itself is one most people do not want to be labeled with.  The problem, however, is that some are more sensitive than others, and using a term like “victim” may immediately cause people to check out because of its negative connotation.

Yep. My problem, not theirs.

And there are others, but I do try to keep my posts relatively short.  Why?  Because I also don’t do well with too many words!  :)

I often use the analogy of a stewardess’ safety instructions when taking a flight; specifically, that passengers are instructed to put on their own oxygen mask before they attempt to help others.  My analogy is that you must help yourself before you can be of help to anyone else.

Managers, this applies to you.  If you aren’t growing. If you are continuously reinventing yourself and refreshing your skills.  If you aren’t engaged in your own growth and betterment, then how much help can you really be to your associates?

Like I tell my kids, over and over, “To be good at anything takes a lot of hard work, a lot of practice, and generally a lot of help and coaching.”  Don’t fool yourself into thinking that just because you have been in a management role for a long time that you are good at it.  Leadership is a craft.  You have to work at it.  You have to learn new skills.

The next time you are inclined to demand some sort of improvement from your team or an associate, ask the mirror if you can demonstrate how you have improved in your role.

]]> http://ibrettferguson.com/2009/12/16/who-am-i-to-judge/feed/ 0 ibrettferguson http://ibrettferguson.com/2009/12/13/this_is_nob_no_1/ http://ibrettferguson.com/2009/12/13/this_is_nob_no_1/#comments Sun, 13 Dec 2009 06:00:16 +0000 ibrettferguson http://ibrettferguson.com/?p=136 ]]> Performance reviews seem to be a challenge almost everywhere.  Some managers simply don’t do them; some managers only go through the (obligatory) motion of completing the forms.  Expectations can be unclear while the reviews themselves become more like a report card then something the associates participate in.

As managers we must decide that we are going to work on behalf of our associates in order to help them grow (and in order for them to help us grow).

This is Job No. 1 if you subscribe to The Service Profit Chain.

But why?  What is the correlation between putting my associates 1st and achieving results?  Why might satisfied associates be engaged and loyal associates?

Does your boss:

• challenge you
• provide you with opportunities
• solicit your input
• value your perspective
• encourage you
• provide relevant and timely feedback
• employ Personal and Team SWOT Analysis
• enable you
• believe in horizontal teams
• have knowledge to bestow upon you
• continuously grow and challenge his/herself
• effectively lead up
• have humility
• set measurable goals
• set clear expectations
• deliver on promises
• execute
• influence other teams
• challenge the status quo
• demonstrate commitment to your growth/training/education
• create a safe environment to challenge, question, explore

Does your boss do the right thing, or does s/he do things right?

• Do you trust that your boss will go to bat for you; that s/he will fight for you?
• Do you feel like you are empowered to solve problems, to innovate, to inspire and affect change?
• Do you believe you have a voice on your team?
• Does your boss push you to learn more about yourself and the world around you?
• Does your boss challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone in order to find out what you are capable of?
• Do you know what is expected of you, and what you can do to exceed expectations?
• Are you recognized for your contributions?

That’s what a satisfied associate feels like.  Not a “happy” associate, but an engaged and vested, challenged and valued, “satisfied” associate. We are talking about creating a healthy, sustainable, innovative culture.

So, let me ask you, “What lengths you would go to for your leader, your team, and your organization if you could answer ‘Yes!’ to all of the above?  What kind of pride might you take in the work you do and the results you deliver?  When you talk to your customers, how much of your satisfaction do you think would carry over into those conversations?  How willing would you be to refer your friends, family,  and colleagues to work for your company?”

Think about it.  Most of us are trained to accept whatever our manager du jour is dishing out.  Even when we know we are working for someone of suspect skills we just keep plugging away – day in and day out.

And I am hear to say, “How terribly unfortunate for you and your manager.”

Each of us who have direct reports are but temporary custodians of the lives (and livelihood) of those who work for us.  We have an opportunity with each and every associate to make an impact on the rest of their lives; to help them realize who and what they can become – and who and what they will not be so willing to settle for going forward.

This responsibility should not be taken lightly.  You associate’s performance reviews should never – E V E R – be copy and pasted from the previous review; they should never be allowed to have but a single line of text for feedback OR expectations; and they should never be one-sided (your side).  Finally, your performance reviews should never be comprised of low expectations, nor should you reward your associates for simply meeting expectations.

I know it feels nice (easy), but you really aren’t doing anyone any favors if you fall prey to this.  Your associates cannot be lead to believe they bring more value than they do, and at the same time your company deserves to see evidence that the associates it invests in are growing in value with tenure.

If you aren’t doing these things for your associates, then you are slowly crippling your organization; like a cancer, you will bring it to its knees from the inside because its infrastructure will not be able to support it longterm.

Healthy.  Sustainable.  Innovative.  That’s the culture we should aspire to.

It starts with Job No. 1:  Your associates.

Ugh.  How does this happen?

“Well, that’s exactly my point.  If non-leaders are in management roles, won’t they be inclined to value and promote those who are most like themselves?”, and I’m starting to get worked up.  ”They perpetuate their own mediocrity!  They breed incompetence and fail associates’ careers along the way!  That is a great responsibility!”

For a little added drama I slide up to the edge of my seat and ask, “Why wouldn’t you insist upon having leaders in management positions?  How do your associates ever learn to be leaders if they have no leadership themselves?”, and I throw my hands up in the air.  ”I just don’t get how this happens!”

And I realize that this perspective is one I have not considered.  I also realize it is an obvious miss, so I am a little irritated, too.  ”Blog it.”, I think.

Perpetuating Mediocrity.  Breeding Incompetence.  Failing, if you ask me.

I point out to her that the one guy she has worked for in all of her years, the only one she looks up to as a leader, has had such an impact on her because he inspires her – because he is the only leader in all of her experiences…and that the others were not.”

His leadership inspired her.  He invigorated her career goals, her excitement about her work, and her willingness to get outside of her comfort zone.  She was a different person during the time she worked for him.  She was more than a satisfied associate, she was an engaged and loyal associate.  She seemed to work tirelessly, and she loved it.

When I consider where she works (a Fortune 500), the enormity of it washes over me.   How many years can one waste working for bad managers?  In her case, she’s had 1 leader.  10 years of experience.  1 leader.  1 year.

That’s 9 additional years she could have spent growing and learning.  It will take her another 9 years to reach where she should be right now.  She will be 46 in ten years.  Imagine who she could be if she knew now what she can hope to know by then.

Imagine who you could be today if you had had better leadership yourself.

Tragic.  And inexcusable.

Sometimes who you want to be can seem to be defined as much by who you do **not** want to be, so I suppose a bad manager has his/her place, too.

But, it’s still tragic.

[This is a very true story, by the way.]

Over and during a flurry of chopsticks, my buddy Shaun proceeds to describe to me something I really can’t comprehend; an environment of feral managers, intoxicated with some ridiculous sense of power and control; lunatics who treat their teams like inmates who have no alternatives and even fewer expectations.

He’s a Sr. Developer, serving in a Lead Developer role.  (Pretty timely, huh?)

Shaun starts telling me his story…and I’m fighting back the urge to blurt “Victim!”

His project is falling apart.  His Project Manager continues to mismanage the project.  The dev team is forced to work long days and weekends to try to keep the project on track.  The others on the team aren’t willing to speak up, so he feels like he is alone when he raises concerns – about quality, about the project, about morale.  His team feels the same, but they aren’t prepared to speak up.

When Shaun does escalate to the Project Manager, nothing happens.  When he escalates to his Development Manager, nothing happens.  When he escalates to the Project Office Manager, still nothing happens.

It isn’t even that nothing changes; its that nothing changes AND he has no idea whether or not anyone tried to do anything.  He doesn’t know if those he depends upon have gone to bat for him or his team.

Betrayal.

For caring enough to raise concerns; for caring enough to do his part, my friend Shaun is rewarded with a heavy dose of betrayal.

And his team?  He feels like he has failed them.

“What else can I do?  I don’t feel like I’ve been a victim – but no one is listening.  What am I supposed to do about that?  What do you suggest I do?”, and I am paralyzed.  Speechless.  This man works for people who are more interested in being “right” than in doing “the right thing”.

Leads, Supervisors, Managers, Directors, and so on, I implore you to recognize that you work for your team(s); they do not work for you.

The weight of the world…and I couldn’t muster a single encouraging word for him.  I couldn’t help him find a way out.  His principles and how much they are worth to him are his alone to weigh, but no associate should be allowed to find themselves in a situation like that, in an environment like that.

But, someone will read this and assume it is about someone else.   Someone will tell themselves a story which supports their org-chart-power and megalomaniacal tendencies.

And someone will lose believers, followers, associates…

So, support your teams.  Enable them.  Encourage them.  Reward them.  Make them better.  Help them grow.  Exceed their expectations.  Fight for them.  Listen to them.  Knock down barriers for them.  And trust them.

You have to decide to be a leader.

Sure, some people are naturally charismatic, energetic, and so on…but I’ll bet you that even they have to “decide” to become a leader; they must still make a decision to leverage their inherent skills to motivate and lead others.

I have met several people along the way who are merely – and literally – a decision away from reinventing themselves as leaders.  Not Supervisors.  Not Managers.  Leaders.  These are people with knowledge, history, and great relationships; people who are likable, smart, and helpful…but fall just short of being anything more than “well respected” on the team, like  a Lead.

A Lead is generally a subject matter expert on the team, someone who will help new-hires navigate systems, teams, organization, and so on.  Leads are generally asked for information, asked to train new hires, etc.

But, a Lead moves into leadership as soon as s/he decides to be proactive in the sharing of knowledge, ideas for improvement, and so on.  After all, a great component of leadership is in learning to anticipate others’ wants or needs – and often when they aren’t quite aware that they need it.

You could say it is like having your Manager show up unannounced to provide you with feedback and guidance, vs. having to schedule time with your manager to ask how well you are performing.

One says, “I am committed to your growth and development.”  The other says, “Sure, if you need some help, let me know.”

One says, “We are in this together.”  The other says, “I’ll be right over there if you need something.”

You will be amazed at how simply deciding who you want to be in your career (not what), can set everything into motion – who you model yourself after, who and what you value, what skills you need to build upon, and so on…

So, who would you like to be?

If you aren’t prepared to answer this question, then you should be.  It could be the life-changer you’ve been looking for.

I have another challenge, too.  (To be perfectly honest, I say “challenge” because there are a lot of very smart and respectable people who would not recommend my method.  I am not convinced of their way, but to be fair, I am listening…)  My challenge is that I approach change with shotgun-like precision.  In other words, I am shooting for everything that needs to be changed all at once.

I will try to draw a parallel.

We live in a new phase of our residential community, and therefore we often have trash from construction sites blowing into our yard.  When I look out back I see a piece of trash, but that isn’t all.  I also see weeds sprouting from under my neighbor’s fence, my kids’ soccer ball, a patio chair out of place, and geraniums in need of dead-heading.

I see that there is more to do than just pick up the trash.  So, the question becomes whether or not to make a single trip out back to take care of everything now, or to grab only the trash this time out and take care of the other things at a later date.

Priorities.  I agree.

The question I have is this:  Is it a matter of prioritizing the individual opportunities and their timing?  Or, is it a matter of prioritizing and maximizing the results of a singular, more broad and immediate effort?

Let me present it another way.

My shotgun solution is to take all of these on at once.  Why wait?  If I have identified these things as opportunities, then they are relevant and valuable.  Besides, I am in the business of taking advantage of opportunities to improve and to progress, not missing out on them.

In all honesty, it is overwhelming, exhausting, stressful and incredibly daunting to approach things this way, but it’s what I know.  Maybe it’s a shortcoming.  Maybe its due to a lack of patience, discipline, or even focus.

Or, maybe this approach nets a lot of positive results in a short amount of time. And maybe, just maybe, people are more resilient to change than we give them credit for.

I have written before about horizontal, empowered teams, but have not specifically discussed the relevance in our changing workplace.  As organizations try to do more with less; as they ‘flatten’ their structures and ask more of management, it is important to note that, in order to be effective, leaders must be able to build and leverage horizontal teams.  In order to lead a horizontal team, one must possess emotional intelligence.

I will even go one step further and submit to you that one must possess emotional intelligence in order to become a leader – beyond a “manager”.

To lead a horizontal, empowered team is to put the team above yourself; to have enough humility to share what your weaknesses are; to have trust in your teams and to get out of their way; to commit to their growth and development; to follow through and represent them unwaveringly as you build faith, trust, and credibility.

Think of the monolithic managers you know.  I’ll wait.

They wield organizational power, but have no personal power.  Their teams are set up so that all decisions have to come through them.  They spend untold energy monitoring your comings and goings,  the hours you’ve reported on your projects, or some other procedural aspect of your work life.

But, they can’t tell you the last time they devoted just an hour of their time to supporting you – to growing and learning from you.  Rather, your monolithic manager will use that hour to comb through those oh-so-worthy status reports you have to submit week after week, or talk about how you are managing vacation schedules, or how some other administrative item is past due.

It seems the monolithic manager is hell-bent on spending 80%+ of their energy on the <20% return  items.  These are not the attributes of leaders.

When your teams want autonomy and empowerment; when your teams want to participate and contribute; when your teams look to your for opportunities, for growth and development, for feedback and support, for encouragement and reward; when your teams want all of this, how can you ever hope to be successful as simply a “manager”?

If you have the power or influence, and your organization is lacking leadership, then do something about it.  Shake it up.  Things will not change if you lack leadership.  Innovation will not improve; and moving your organization forward can not happen.

It all starts with leadership…leadership and emotional intelligence.

It’s my own fault.

I didn’t expect anyone to find this site of mine, at least not this soon.  You see, these initial posts were intended to exercise these atrophied creative writing muscles of mine; to help me shape the voice and message of my blog; to help me overcome what is a curiously awkward endeavor: To write as though someone else will care to read it.

Yet, somehow it is liberating. My goal with this site is to author a site of my personal perspectives in hopes that mine will contribute to yours as you build your own vault of experiences and perspectives.

When I was a developer I spent many years bouncing from job to job as a consultant/contractor. I worked for companies large and small, public and private, innovative and conservative. I worked for many different managers, yet only a couple of real “leaders”.  Along my journey I have amassed a myriad of experiences of my own, and I have compiled those with the professional experiences of my wife. I have aggregated the experiences of not only mine and my wife’s, but also those of my friends and family. I engage in discussions with strangers and most everyone I know about the challenges they face in their work lives, and what they are doing to try to overcome them.

Mobile application product managers. Plumbers. Publishers. Personal trainers. Loading dock managers. Program managers. Business Analysts. Industrial survey equipment trainers. Team Leads. Directors. Off-shore liaisons. Human Factors Professionals. And so on… They all encounter challenges which must be overcome.  They all provide perspectives on leadership, on work life, on what it means to be an employee, and what it means to be a leader (even if the lesson is a byproduct of how they are being lead.)

My perspective is that lessons on leadership and models of change are everywhere.  Will you be open and receptive to them as you make your way through your day?  Will you take advantage of these opportunities to learn from and through others, to accelerate what you can learn beyond your years?

You get one shot every day – and that is to make the best of that day before it is gone forever.

“Progress begins with the belief that what is necessary is possible.”  - Normal Cousins

A horizontal team is a high-performing, self-directed team who solves (most of) its own problems, holds its members accountable, makes decisions, influences and drives direction, and more. A horizontal team is one who recognizes and then leverages the individual strengths of its members; one who works interdependently to increase knowledge and skills across the team – for the good of the whole team.

If you have ever worked in, with, or around a finely tuned SCRUM team, then you have been fortunate enough to witness how a model horizontal team operates.

So, what role does the manager play if a horizontal team has all of this freedom and empowerment? For starters, the manager is still there to address any impediments/barriers the team isn’t able to overcome. The manager provides associate growth and feedback, direction where needed, and most of all, leadership.

You see, in most every facet, an effective horizontal team absorbs the tasks of a traditional “pipeline manager”. If you look around your place of employment, you may be challenged to find a manager who demonstrates real leadership skills. However, you are likely to find a plethora of “managers of tasks” for they are commodities. The work they do can be done by many, and with horizontal teams, the team really performs what used to be the work of the traditional manager.

If you haven’t managed in this environment, then what I am suggesting can be terrifying. (I know, I am watching the heads of the uninitiated about to burst right now.) If you haven’t worked in this environment, then it can be equally awkward for moving into a proactive mindset is strange if you are used to being told what to work on, when to work on it, and potentially even how to work on it.

However, what I am discussing is liberating – for you and your team(s). Not only is it liberating, but it will provide you with an opportunity to get out of the weeds; to begin working ON your business rather than IN your business…to begin working ON your team rather than IN your team. (Read The E-Myth, it’ll make sense.)

Yesterday (and again today), I sat through presentations regarding mobile devices; their growing prevalence, and how the constraints of the devices themselves change the way we think about the data/content we access on them.  Even more provoking was the notion that expectations on mobile devices may drive similar expectations on the internet.

The Mash-up Generation.

The presenter goes on to speculate that there is a growing gap between those who interface with the internet through Google (or another search engine) and those who have created personalized, context-sensitive experiences on the internet.

And I’m fascinated.  What does this shift meant to Google?  What does it mean when we use SmartPhones more and more on the internet (and through applications)?  What does it mean when the mobile carriers have extensive information about our habits – who we are, where we are, what we purchase, what we shop, where we surf, and so on?  Will marketers use our behaviors against us?   Will they bombard us with ads and recommendations and blah blah blah?

I am fascinated, but a little uneasy.  Why can’t we “walk freely” through our world?  Why do we have to accept that we will forever be watched?

Sorta sounds like a style of government.  And I ain’t diggin’ it.