One of the Worst Leadership Answers. . .Ever

Team member is interested in the business and happens to be perplexed by a particular issue.    Team member decides to gather their courage and go ask their manager for sage wisdom   Team member is rewarded with one of the worst leadership answers ever:

"I don't know - go ask management."

Seriously.

Note that the team member actually thought that by going to their leader that they were doing just that. . .asking management.  Instead of getting an informed, or even sympathetic response, they are greeted with a reply that indicates that not only is their leader minimally, out of the know, but maximally, out of touch.

"I don't know - go ask management."

Not only have I heard managers (ironic, isn't it?) say this,   I have heard directors say this.   I've even heard vice presidents say this!   

Here are just a few of the problems with this response.

The leader is abdicating responsibility.   Along with the privilege of leading a team comes  great responsibility.   Part of that responsibility is aligning one's self with the overall strategies and tactics of the company.   "I don't know - go ask management," indicates that the leader hasn't taken the responsibility to understand strategic initiatives and tactics; if this is the case, the team member should have very little confidence in the leader's ability.

It is an indicator of mis-communication.  Communication is key to any enterprise - any time there is an indicator that there is a lack of flow of information -it is a warning sign to the team that something is amiss.  Teams need to have confidence that their leaders are communicating throughout the ranks.

The answer does not take care of the team member.    One of the best privileges we have is to take care of the members of our team.     There is no care demonstrated in the response of "I don't know - go ask management."    It leaves the team member further awash in uncertainty that negatively impacts morale and productivity.

So what should a leader do?   Treat each question with care - as much as possible make sure you know the answers.    If you don't know the answers, be candid:  "I don't know - but let me try to find out for you."    Then give yourself a brief amount of time to get back to the team member.   Even if you can't find out the whole answer - a partial answer and a promise to keep seeking the truth will work. . .and allow the team's work to continue onward.

People ask questions because they are genuinely interested, need an answer to continue to be productive or desire to align themselves with the goals of the company.   Questions are a  resource to the leader. . .a resource that always deserves strong, directive answers.

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Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" available for e-readers, tablets, PCs from Amazon Kindle.   This book is now part of the Kindle lending library.

Producing Power in the Workplace

I get it.   I know why some people and some teams choose to work autonomously.   They don't want "someone in their stuff."    They want to be able to create a singular vision.     They don't want the perceived baggage that comes with a group consensus and they desire exclusive credit for their singular creation.

The visual I attach to these desires is of one gear, spinning by itself.    It may be spinning just fine - in fact, it may be going at an accelerated pace.     The gear itself is probably pretty pristine and nice to look at it because it hasn't had that messy interaction with any  other gears.  And there's the rub (or lack thereof);  because it doesn't mesh with any other gears, ultimately. . . it's powerless.

Not only do some individuals choose to work like this - entire organizations operate in such a fashion - but they do not operate at maximum efficiency or capacity because they are not engaged with any other gears.

To create power in the workplace, individuals and teams need to mesh with each other.  Instead of spinning alone, they need to be highly interactive driving a common machine toward a common goal.

Sacrifices that must be made for this type of partnership (less autonomy, having "someone in your business," additional time to attain consensus and lack of getting solo credit) are small compared to the power that is generated with the end result.  When teams and individuals interact with each other, they share each other's business, they give each other credit and ultimately are more efficient because the time it took to reach consensus protects the entire enterprise from time-consuming  mis-steps and produces a more satisfactory product.

Communication, willingness to compromise, collaboration are all elements that allow individuals and teams to work well together and create something better than just one individual can create on their own.  A gear spinning alone produces merely a faint breeze. . .gears, and teams, that mesh with others produce power.

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Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions,  Confident Leaders" available on Amazon Kindle for e-readers, PC's, tablets and Apple products.   If you are a member of Amazon prime, "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is now part of the lending library.   

Change? We Want It and Hate It

Change.   We desire it.    We loathe it.

How many times have you been in conversations like this:

• "I really wish that we didn't have to do it this way."
• "It would be so much better if it was organized like this."
• "I could be more productive if we could streamline these issues."
• "I really wish he/she would. . . (fill in the blank)."

These are all expressions of desire for change; yet, we are resistant to change.

I expect that the reasons for this resistance are many, but here are some key ones.

• Really, we want everyone else to change;  we don't want to change ourselves.
• We don't want to be victimized by change;    we don't want something inflicted upon us.
• When it comes right down to it, our desire for a different way of doing things conflicts with the current comfort level;     however undesirable the current situation may be, we find it easier to accept that  vs. accepting the unknown.

Change is, in fact, a major opportunity and  if we don't welcome it, we are failing to leverage a tremendous asset.   It is often an opportunity to make things better;   that mindset, however, requires that we change the way we perceive. . .change.

The easiest way to change things for the better is for you to change.   The most power you have is over yourself.   Change the way you approach a situation.  Change the way you interact with a colleague or direct report.     Change and edit your workload so that it is more satisfying.  No one - not even your boss, has as much power as you do.

Be proactive to exterior change.   Often we allow change that comes from the outside to victimize us.   Turn the model around;  be proactive.    Have a system for how to anticipate change and how to deal with it.   Be determined to use change from the outside to create a better team and system on the inside.

Changes requires a difference in the way we interact with each other and the world around us.    When you think about it - the dynamic between individuals is constantly shifting.  Be aware of this and welcome it.  Proactively look at which relationships aren't fulfilling and change the dynamics.   Don't be content with relationships that are merely okay,  but nourish them to a higher standard of excellence.

Change - at our core - we all want it.   We just need to embrace it.

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Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders"  available on Amazon Kindle for e-readers, PCs, tablets and Apple Products.  If you are part of Amazon Prime, you can now borrow this book for free!

Why I'm Liking Diana Nyad Right Now!

 
"Never a solitary sport, it's a team."

So said Diana Nyad after completing her record-breaking swim from Havana to Key West.  Ms. Nyad, at 64 years of age, had tried this epic swim four times before.  Now, she had made it.   If ever there was a time to celebrate individual achievement, this was it.   Instead, to what did Ms. Nyad focus our attention?     She pointed to her team.

How often have we heard these sayings associated with leaders?  "It's lonely at the top."   "It's not my job to be liked."    "I sacrifice a lot."  All of these statements, spoken by the leader, focus the attention on. . .well, the leader.  And how difficult it is to be a leader.   And how hard the leader has worked.

Nyad's a leader who swam non-stop, day and dead-of-night, through jellyfish and shark invested waters.   Did we hear how hard her job was?   Not really.    We heard her credit her team.

Ms. Nyad is correct about her accomplishment, it wasn't a solitary sport.  Leadership, by its very definition, is not solitary.   If you don't have a team, you're not a leader;  having a team that follows you is what makes you a leader.

Thinking deeper about Nyad's (and her team's) accomplishment, we find these things to be true:

Her team was multi-skilled and multi-talented.   Did she hire a bunch of people who were just like her?   Who were all great swimmers?   Nope, she built a diverse group of multi-talented individuals who could advise her regarding nutrition,  tides, safest pathways to success.    She thought carefully about her task, decided what talent she needed and formed her team around that criteria.

Her team was as dedicated to her success as she was.     Granted, they weren't in the sea at all hours swimming through choppy waters - but they were physically with her from start to finish.   The team stuck together to accomplish what previously had not been done.

Her team came ashore first.  At the completion of the grueling swim, members of  her team beached first to assure that Nyad's pathway to success was clear and without obstacle.  They paved the way for her, and ultimately the team's, success.

They all celebrated their afterward.   If they would have been working in some businesses, they would have rewarded with:  "Nice job, but get back in the water, we all have work to do."   Never forget the importance of recognizing team achievement with appropriate recognition and celebration.

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Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" available on Amazon Kindle for e-readers, tablets, PCs and Apple products.  If you are a member of Amazon Prime, "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is now part of the lending library!