Marissa Mayer and "Ruthless" Prioritization

How do we get it all done?   With the competing demands at work - forget about a 40 hour work week, it often doesn't seem possible to get it all done in 60 or 70 or more hours.

So let's take a short lesson from Marissa Mayer.    Ms. Mayer made news several months ago when she was lured from her long-term executive position at Google to take the helm at Yahoo.   She made news again when she just returned to work from a two week family leave after giving birth to her son.   When asked how she gets everything done, Ms. Mayer, the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company, responded with this piece of advice.

"You have to ruthlessly prioritize."

She's right;  one of the key responsibilities we have as leaders is to make great use of our resources through prioritization.    Often we are so slammed - do this report, get this analysis done, attend this meeting, etc -  we perceive that we are too busy to prioritize.  In fact, to maintain some semblance of work/life balance and to do good work, we need to make prioritization, well, a priority.

Establish for yourself how you are going to prioritize.  Here's a few ideas to get you started:

• What is business critical?   What absolutely must happen that will either make business much better or disallow a shortfall in business?
• What (even though perhaps not critical) will make a substantive difference to your business or team?
• What are other team members relying on you to deliver so that they may do their jobs?
• If I do this piece of work - will it make a difference?  To anything or anyone?
• Evaluate importance given relativity.   Something that may have seemed very important, and do-able last week may not be viewed in the same light given the circumstances of this week.
• Does it matter?   At times we do reports, or repetitive work that at some time, some one deemed important - is that still the case?   If not, get rid of it.  Be unafraid to challenge the status quo.
• Can it/should it be delegated?   Use strong delegation as a tool to not only increase learning among the team, but also use it as a tool to get the project with the right expert.   Sometimes projects come your way that really would be better off with another professional.
• Have the courage to say "no" or "I can't manage your request right now, but I can do it in the foreseeable future."

The team that I managed evolved to a state of continuous prioritization.   This was not an exercise of mindlessly moving projects around;   this was active thinking about the business, the human and financial resources we had available at the time and how to best use those resources to advance the goals of the company.   

If we don't prioritize, projects and issues that don't really matter get in the way of big ideas that really move the business forward.   When we prioritize those big ideas, we are not only driving the business but we were leading the mission of the company.

Why I'm Liking Warren Buffett

Right now, I'm inspired by Warren Buffett. . .and it's not because he is ridiculously wealthy.    It's because, as a nationally recognized business leader, he has the courage to do two thing:   suggest a tax increase for himself (and others of similar wealth) to help solve the current economic dilemma and further, lead the country with a positive, nationally televised, "America's a winner" message.

First things first.   Often it is the negative, oh-woe-is-me message that receives the most news coverage.  Particularly galling is the hand-wringing among the very wealthy (who  typically do not have to worry about their health insurance or making the mortgage or concern themselves about the price of heating oil.)  The millionaires who complain about how bad their taxes are have no contact with the great middle ground of America, much of which would be happy to trade places with them, even if it did mean a higher tax bill.

In contradiction to this stands Warren Buffett, who has some of the finer financial credentials this country has seen.   Mr. Buffett has said, on numerous occasions, that he believes he personally should pay more taxes;  moreover, he says that the others who are as financially fortunate as he should do the same.    That takes a high degree of leadership.

Pragmatic as he is, Mr. Buffett does not believe a higher tax rate for the very wealthy would stagnate growth.   He believes that any individual, presented with a smart investment opportunity that would reap higher rewards that a standard interest rate would avail themselves of that opportunity, even if it meant a few extra points of taxes.

Secondly, Mr. Buffett is leading with the positive, saying  on NBC's Today Show that he believes the American economy has been improving for the past three years, that it will be strong in the  next decades and he concludes with the words we should hear more often, "America's a Winner."

Moreover, he puts his money behind his words.  In 2012, his companies will have invested a record $9 billion in infrastructure, a 10% increase over the year previous, which in its own right was a record.   While some may be sitting on the sidelines, Mr. Buffett is truly investing in job creation and growing the economy.

So,  who would you rather follow?   The naysayers or someone who has a positive vision, like Mr. Buffett?   For me, Buffett wins, hands down.

He is unafraid to take a stand that others may disparage.  He has the humanity to think in broader terms of what is good for the country, versus what is convenient for him.   He has the vision to be confident in America.

Here's the lesson for us as leaders.   Do we have a similar amount of courage?   Do we have the humanity to do what is in the best interest of the majority, versus what may be convenient for us?   Do we publicly advocate a positive message for our mission?   Do we lead with confidence?

Each of these is a great leadership trait, whether in the office, factory or national stage.

Not Just Because It's Thanksgiving

It's tempting not to write about being thankful in the workplace during Thanksgiving week.  My fear is that the subject, coinciding with the holiday, will come across as trite and treacle-ly in the vein of  "It's Thanksgiving week, be a nice person, thank the people you work with and you're done with that for another year."   And that would be missing the point.   Don't thank someone just because it's Thanksgiving, thank them because you're genuinely grateful.

Giving thanks at the workplace, year-round, is the right thing to do.   Here's why.  The reality of any workplace is that team members are dependent upon one another to get the job done.  It's important to recognize that if your team members were not there, the output they produce would no longer be there either.  You, and your company, rely on that output to "get the job done."   This is true all up and down the chain of command.  If someone did not clean the bathrooms, it would not get done.  If someone was not providing direction and strategy, it would not get done.   If someone was not responsible for tactical execution, things certainly would not get done.  You are reliant upon each other and thus, you have the privilege of being genuinely grateful..

Key word:  genuinely.  It is easy enough to say "thank you" to someone as a fly-by in the hallway;  sometimes it is more difficult, but better, to examine how you and your team work together and to be truly grateful that you have the privilege of working with these people every day.    The gut ability to be genuinely thankful not only provides  you with a realistic view of your contribution, and how it meshes with everyone else's, but it also shifts the focus to the positive in the workplace.

At times, it is way too easy to get caught up in "I" at the workplace:  nobody appreciates the work I do. . .I work so hard and it isn't recognized. . .I put so much energy and thought into my work.  All of that may be true, but the above statements don't necessarily move you anyplace positive.  Being grateful expands your field of vision beyond "I" and puts the emphasis on other members of the team.  That is always a winning strategy.

If you are genuinely grateful, find ways to express that gratitude - each day.  In-person thank you's, e-mails, text messages, public announcements, taking someone to coffee or lunch are ways of expressing your appreciation for a job well done.   Make it a priority, all year, to feel gratitude for who you are, what you have and the team with whom you have the privilege of working.

 

"Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is published on Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0095KPA6A

The Winning Formula of Nate Silver

Obviously, there were many winners and losers in last week's election;  one of the winningest, however, wasn't even a candidate.   It was Nate Silver of the New York Times 538 blog.  Mr. Silver gained fame when in the 2008 presidential election he called nearly every electoral state correctly.  In 2012, he outdid himself and called every one of the 50 states correctly in the electoral race.

Here's the part I love.  In a post-election interview with NBC's Andrea Canning, she asked Mr. Silver, "When you were a kid, did you always have all of the right answers?"  To this, he replied that her assumption wasn't the case.

"I always had a lot of questions.  I think that's what smart people do."

Here is a man who, perhaps more than anybody currently in the United States, could stand on his ability to be right.  Instead of staking his claim in the "right-ness" or "correct-ness" of his work, he emphasizes the importance of asking the right questions.

As leaders, I believe there is so much we can learn from Mr. Silver's quote.  First of all, it leaves the audience with a sense of the man's humility as well as his willingness to learn.  As a follower of his blog, I am reassured by his ability to look at life with a sense of curiosity and wonder.  This allows him to approach the myriad of stats and facts he works with not just from one dimension, but from multiple viewpoints.    The ability to question life, and to perhaps question his own assumptions, makes him a stronger, better leader.  Because he is eliminating many of the chances to be blind-sided (and so many of the political prognosticators were blind-sided by the recent election because they approached it from only one viewpoint) it makes him a more reliable leader in whom we can have confidence.

So the question is, are you also that kind of leader?  This is one of the propelling ideas in my book (shameless plug for "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" on Kindle) that encourages us to confidently ask ourselves questions that make us better.  Are we smart enough to know we don't know everything?  Do we have the confidence to freely admit that we don't have all of the answers, but that we are intelligent enough to find the solutions?  And lastly, do we apply ourselves to our work so that, like Mr. Silver, in the end we present an incredible degree of accuracy in our work?

The lack of questioning, or curiosity, in leadership results in one dimensional work that is subject to failure.  The ability to engage life through learning leads to incredibly successful work.

"Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders"  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0095KPA6A

Obama and Christie Together - And It Feels So Right!

As shocking as the photos of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy were, nearly as unexpected were the photos of President Obama and Governor Chris Christie. . .working together, sharing the same goals.

Tragic it was a tragedy that provided the photo-op.  Here were two titans of opposing political parties, cooperating together, to offer relief to the hundreds of thousands who suffered the ravages of the storm.  The two, of different political beliefs (at least on some issues) found common ground in the need to offer assistance to those in great need of it.   I believe most Americans were relieved and reassured to see this type of cooperative leadership.

It is also tragic there cannot be greater cooperation like this daily.  What's at stake in America is precious:   the charter to take care of our citizenry, the desire to lead the world to democracy and the protection of freedom.   Instead of cooperation and negotiation to attain these goals, we often find the exact opposite, conflict and deadlock.

Polls tell us that most Americans decry this stagnation due to polarization.  They are angry that their government cannot get more things done;  their legislators are seemingly more concerned with "winning" than actually bringing the American dream to fruition.

Before we get too carried away in political assessment however, I believe we also need to examine our own leadership in the workplace.   There have been many times that I have witnessed deadlock because people refused to get along, even though the stakes were high.    Political warfare, resulting in stagnation, does not just happen in the US government;  it also happens senselessly in any size of workplace.

Whether on the national scene, or the workplace, I believe true leaders should:

• Yes, advocate for what they believe in; but also be prepared to temper their tactics so there is room for negotiation to achieve goals for the overall good.
• Be honest.  Are you alarmed by the amount of "truth meters" that seem to be necessary in the current election?  The tampering or twisting of facts, or just plain fabrications, may result in a short-term "win," but long term, it results in fostering the doubt of your constituency.
• Look at one's own position with a keenly critical eye.   Do you truly understand all sides of the issue?  Do you thoroughly understand opposing viewpoints?   Are you prepared to alter your position for the greater good of all involved?

The leader that people want to follow is the one that understands that deadlock is fruitless, but that cooperation, and building consensus builds both stronger governments and stronger workplaces.