Give me a little credit. I've waited almost two weeks to write about the government shutdown.
Regardless of your point of view, hopefully you'll agree that one of the more egregious statements came from Representative Marlin Stutzman, "We're not going to be disrespected. We have to get something out of this. And I don't even know what that is."
Representative Stutzman's statement quickly, and justifiably, became a punchline. While honoring the humor therein, I believe there are also a few lessons that we can learn.
Know, and state with confidence, where you are leading your team. The most disturbing part of Stutzman's statement was the last sentence, "And I don't even know what that is." People won't, and shouldn't, follow you if you can't define your goal. Wandering about aimlessly in the wilderness didn't even work for Biblical characters. . .much less your group. Or, put another way, don't fire off arrows if you don't even have a target.
When you want a team to achieve a goal, do this. Be certain. Be specific. Be constant and consistent.
Stay on message. What I suspect happened with Rep. Stutzman is that the battle was prolonged, frustrating. . and in his reaction, he allowed himself to get off message. Don't do this. In business, in organizations, there will be many times that you are "in the heat of the moment." Think about your message, and the direction you want to set, prior to reacting.
Don't believe you are "owed something" just because you engaged. Stutzman's statement, "We have to get something out of this," reflects an aura of entitlement (something I suspect the representative is not a big fan of). As much as I believe in compromise, I also believe it isn't, nor should be, a guaranteed outcome. When you take one side of an argument you don't necessarily get something for stating your opinion. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose - move on. Don't dwell on the loss - people don't want to follow people who wallow.
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Keywords: leadership, goals, goal attainment, communication of goals, negotiations, compromise.
Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" available for e-readers and PCs on Amazon Kindle. If you are a member of Amazon Prime, you can now read this book for free.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
How to Get People to Do What You Want Them to Do
"Why can't they just follow directions?"
"They never do what I want them to do."
"It's like I'm talking to a wall."
One of the more difficult challenges a leader faces is when a team member, or shoot, a whole team, won't do what the leader wants or needs them to do. Let's face it - if they aren't doing what you want - you aren't leading.
The good news is, there are ways to correct the situation. To be clear, I am not talking about sly manipulation, a clever phrase that no one has heretofore thought of or fascist-like tactics.
Point One: Recognize that as the leader, it is far easier (and probably far more effective) for you to change your tactics than to change the personalities, or even behavior, of your team. For a leader to change their tactics in approaching the team is not a loss of the leader's integrity; instead, it is a sure sign that the leader is flexible, has more communication tools from which to draw and can effectively lead a wide-ranging audience.
So, change it up. If you've been giving instructions in a meeting, try giving them one to one. If you've been giving instructions one to one, try giving them out in an e-mail. Spend more time (certainly not less) with the person/team that is having difficulty. Consider changing your personal approach to the project at hand. There are many options in the world - try some new ones.
Point Two: Saying it once is seldom enough. You may desire to say it only once and have your instructions fully understood, but that is seldom the reality of life. All of us have multiple priorities and hundreds of messages each and every day. Find ways to reinforce your requests through multiple communications (without being a nag!).
Point Three: Focus on the end result, not necessarily the way it's done. I have learned over the years that I'm a much happier leader with much happier team members if I don't prescribe the exact way things have to be done to get to a final product. Every person and every team has to have their own system . . .just because you've found a way that works for you - doesn't mean it works for everyone else. Certainly be available to provide coaching and tips. . .and then focus on the end result.
Point Four: Don't capitulate to "If I want things done (right) I'll just have to do them myself." This kind of blows everything up. As a leader, your job is not to do things yourself, your job is to provide a positive, supportive platform on which a team can perform to it's very best.
Certainly there are times when someone stubbornly refuses to follow directions and will not align with the team; that is insubordination. More often I've found that people just need to be reminded, coached, encouraged, communicated to in different ways to reach the end result that the leader desires.
Like it? Share it!
Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" available for e-readers, PCs, tablets on Amazon Kindle. If you are a member of Amazon Prime, you can now read this book for free!
"They never do what I want them to do."
"It's like I'm talking to a wall."
One of the more difficult challenges a leader faces is when a team member, or shoot, a whole team, won't do what the leader wants or needs them to do. Let's face it - if they aren't doing what you want - you aren't leading.
The good news is, there are ways to correct the situation. To be clear, I am not talking about sly manipulation, a clever phrase that no one has heretofore thought of or fascist-like tactics.
Point One: Recognize that as the leader, it is far easier (and probably far more effective) for you to change your tactics than to change the personalities, or even behavior, of your team. For a leader to change their tactics in approaching the team is not a loss of the leader's integrity; instead, it is a sure sign that the leader is flexible, has more communication tools from which to draw and can effectively lead a wide-ranging audience.
So, change it up. If you've been giving instructions in a meeting, try giving them one to one. If you've been giving instructions one to one, try giving them out in an e-mail. Spend more time (certainly not less) with the person/team that is having difficulty. Consider changing your personal approach to the project at hand. There are many options in the world - try some new ones.
Point Two: Saying it once is seldom enough. You may desire to say it only once and have your instructions fully understood, but that is seldom the reality of life. All of us have multiple priorities and hundreds of messages each and every day. Find ways to reinforce your requests through multiple communications (without being a nag!).
Point Three: Focus on the end result, not necessarily the way it's done. I have learned over the years that I'm a much happier leader with much happier team members if I don't prescribe the exact way things have to be done to get to a final product. Every person and every team has to have their own system . . .just because you've found a way that works for you - doesn't mean it works for everyone else. Certainly be available to provide coaching and tips. . .and then focus on the end result.
Point Four: Don't capitulate to "If I want things done (right) I'll just have to do them myself." This kind of blows everything up. As a leader, your job is not to do things yourself, your job is to provide a positive, supportive platform on which a team can perform to it's very best.
Certainly there are times when someone stubbornly refuses to follow directions and will not align with the team; that is insubordination. More often I've found that people just need to be reminded, coached, encouraged, communicated to in different ways to reach the end result that the leader desires.
Like it? Share it!
Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" available for e-readers, PCs, tablets on Amazon Kindle. If you are a member of Amazon Prime, you can now read this book for free!
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
The Seven Deadly Sins of Leadership
Some leaders believe that since they have ascended to said position, they are incapable of doing wrong.
Not even close - so herewith, the seven deadly sins of leadership; which if committed ultimately mean that the leader truly isn't leading. . .because people really don't want to follow these types of leaders.
Bitterness. Angry, pissed off and just can't get over it. Now isn't that attractive? Here's a clue. . .nobody wants to work for this leader because nobody really wants to be around that stuff. Moreover, if the individual can't get over a perceived wrong, they are looking backwards whereas strong leaders look forward.
Insecurity. You've seen this. . .individuals who somehow get appointed to positions of leadership. . .either through chutzpah or by accident. . .but they don't have the self-confidence to truly own the position. Nobody really wants to work for this leader. . .because the individual is too concerned about what everybody is thinking about THEM versus guiding the team to strategic thought and goal accomplishment. Insecurity, by the way, is often a root cause of. . .
Egoism. It's all about me. . .and if there should be a time when it's not about me . . .well, then it's about I. If this leader were to write a book about their professional experience, every chapter would be entitled "Me." Nobody really wants to work for this leader because we want someone to reach out and care about us. . .which the egotistical leader really cannot do.
The Leader Who is Always Right. Not even close to a realistic point of view. . .yet some leaders feel that their self worth is tied up in being right all of the time. Nobody really wants to work for this leader because the leader certainly does not embrace diversity of thought or the contribution of the team. This leader pretty much disenfranchises all who work with him or her.
Dishonesty. I have worked with leaders who have bragged to their peers about their ability to tell a lie and get away with it. Guess what? Those in the audience of said braggadocio would be stupid to ever trust that individual again. We work in a multi-dimensional environment, smart people can figure out when the truth hasn't been told.
Isolationism. This is the leader who loves silos. He or she builds fiefdoms, castle walls, turrets. . .everything to hold the defenses. They do not have the skill set to build bridges and pathways. . .in other words, they do not have the ability to construct ways that people can actually get someplace.
Fear. Not to be confused with cautious or careful. This is the leader who cannot guide the team because he or she is fearful of the results. Strong leaders must take courage in facts, strategies, the team and its tactics. That's how leaders win the charge.
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Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" available for Ipads, e-readers, tablets and PCs from Amazon Kindle. If you are a member of Amazon Prime, you can now borrow this book for free.
Not even close - so herewith, the seven deadly sins of leadership; which if committed ultimately mean that the leader truly isn't leading. . .because people really don't want to follow these types of leaders.
Bitterness. Angry, pissed off and just can't get over it. Now isn't that attractive? Here's a clue. . .nobody wants to work for this leader because nobody really wants to be around that stuff. Moreover, if the individual can't get over a perceived wrong, they are looking backwards whereas strong leaders look forward.
Insecurity. You've seen this. . .individuals who somehow get appointed to positions of leadership. . .either through chutzpah or by accident. . .but they don't have the self-confidence to truly own the position. Nobody really wants to work for this leader. . .because the individual is too concerned about what everybody is thinking about THEM versus guiding the team to strategic thought and goal accomplishment. Insecurity, by the way, is often a root cause of. . .
Egoism. It's all about me. . .and if there should be a time when it's not about me . . .well, then it's about I. If this leader were to write a book about their professional experience, every chapter would be entitled "Me." Nobody really wants to work for this leader because we want someone to reach out and care about us. . .which the egotistical leader really cannot do.
The Leader Who is Always Right. Not even close to a realistic point of view. . .yet some leaders feel that their self worth is tied up in being right all of the time. Nobody really wants to work for this leader because the leader certainly does not embrace diversity of thought or the contribution of the team. This leader pretty much disenfranchises all who work with him or her.
Dishonesty. I have worked with leaders who have bragged to their peers about their ability to tell a lie and get away with it. Guess what? Those in the audience of said braggadocio would be stupid to ever trust that individual again. We work in a multi-dimensional environment, smart people can figure out when the truth hasn't been told.
Isolationism. This is the leader who loves silos. He or she builds fiefdoms, castle walls, turrets. . .everything to hold the defenses. They do not have the skill set to build bridges and pathways. . .in other words, they do not have the ability to construct ways that people can actually get someplace.
Fear. Not to be confused with cautious or careful. This is the leader who cannot guide the team because he or she is fearful of the results. Strong leaders must take courage in facts, strategies, the team and its tactics. That's how leaders win the charge.
Like it? Share it!
Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" available for Ipads, e-readers, tablets and PCs from Amazon Kindle. If you are a member of Amazon Prime, you can now borrow this book for free.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
When to Fire Someone
Asking a team member to leave should be one of the most difficult decisions that a leader has to make. Firing someone should bear more weight on the leader than the leader's own personal career; when firing someone the leader is not only impacting another person's career and compensation, but is also making a decision that is reflective of the leader and the team.
It is something that should rarely be done.
For the sake of the entire team, the team member in question and the leader's own integrity - the leader must do serious soul searching before taking the action of eliminating someone. Has the leader done everything possible to coach this team member? Can the leader honestly say that everything in their power has been done to support this specific individual? If the answer is "yes" the leader's conscience should be clear.
When, then, should the leader make the decision to fire someone?
If the team member simply does not have the skill set. It is a leader's responsibility to assure that all team members have the training and mentoring they need to be successful. That being said, there are times when serious mis-matches occur. Ideally, one can find a better match within the enterprise so that the team member can be successful. If that cannot be done - the team member needs to be released.
If the team member does not align himself/herself with the goals of the team; if the team member is insubordinate. I'm a huge fan of diversity among teams; at the end of the day, however, the team needs to pull together and head in a common direction. If there is a team member who cannot do this - they need to go.
If the team member is dragging the rest of the team down. It should be taken for granted that some team members will always be better than others. There are however, team members who can drag the rest of the team down due to lack of skill, lack of alignment or complacency - for the sake of the remainder of the team, the issues presented by the deficient team member must be addressed.
If the team member is negatively impacting the reputation of the team. I have witnessed the reputation of large teams be negatively impacted by one individual; this is usually due to lack of cooperation, lack of work ethic or skill. Leader's need to be aware of this and make judgments accordingly.
The team member is taking way more resources than they are are contributing. Time and money are valuable resources; we should be comfortable that for certain periods of time some team members take disproportionate time, money and energy to get them up to speed. Over a prolonged period, however, if a team member is not returning the investment on the resources, they need to be released so that those resources can be spent on an individual who will reap a stronger return for the enterprise.
Attitude is everything. This is trickier to deal with because it cannot be substantiated as easy as the above points. I have found however that a poor attitude often has symbiotic symptoms that will work as substantiation to remove the team member.
It is the leader's responsibility to do everything to "save" a team member that isn't making the grade. If it can't be done, however, a difficult decision has to be made. Fortunately, that difficult decision is offset by the knowledge that one has done the right thing for the remainder of the team.
Like it? Share it!
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, you can now borrow this book for free!
It is something that should rarely be done.
For the sake of the entire team, the team member in question and the leader's own integrity - the leader must do serious soul searching before taking the action of eliminating someone. Has the leader done everything possible to coach this team member? Can the leader honestly say that everything in their power has been done to support this specific individual? If the answer is "yes" the leader's conscience should be clear.
When, then, should the leader make the decision to fire someone?
If the team member simply does not have the skill set. It is a leader's responsibility to assure that all team members have the training and mentoring they need to be successful. That being said, there are times when serious mis-matches occur. Ideally, one can find a better match within the enterprise so that the team member can be successful. If that cannot be done - the team member needs to be released.
If the team member does not align himself/herself with the goals of the team; if the team member is insubordinate. I'm a huge fan of diversity among teams; at the end of the day, however, the team needs to pull together and head in a common direction. If there is a team member who cannot do this - they need to go.
If the team member is dragging the rest of the team down. It should be taken for granted that some team members will always be better than others. There are however, team members who can drag the rest of the team down due to lack of skill, lack of alignment or complacency - for the sake of the remainder of the team, the issues presented by the deficient team member must be addressed.
If the team member is negatively impacting the reputation of the team. I have witnessed the reputation of large teams be negatively impacted by one individual; this is usually due to lack of cooperation, lack of work ethic or skill. Leader's need to be aware of this and make judgments accordingly.
The team member is taking way more resources than they are are contributing. Time and money are valuable resources; we should be comfortable that for certain periods of time some team members take disproportionate time, money and energy to get them up to speed. Over a prolonged period, however, if a team member is not returning the investment on the resources, they need to be released so that those resources can be spent on an individual who will reap a stronger return for the enterprise.
Attitude is everything. This is trickier to deal with because it cannot be substantiated as easy as the above points. I have found however that a poor attitude often has symbiotic symptoms that will work as substantiation to remove the team member.
It is the leader's responsibility to do everything to "save" a team member that isn't making the grade. If it can't be done, however, a difficult decision has to be made. Fortunately, that difficult decision is offset by the knowledge that one has done the right thing for the remainder of the team.
Like it? Share it!
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, you can now borrow this book for free!
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Nuclear Phraseology in the Workplace
"What kind of a parent are you?"
"What did you do all day, anyway?"
"Well, I certainly wouldn't have done it THAT way."
Anyone in a relationship recognizes that the above phrases are nuclear explosives that will either generate an equally demonstrative counter-attack or long periods of silence. Perhaps both.
Too often we forget that we have a relationship with our work teams and similar to the above, the bad turn of a phrase just blows it all up. But wait. . .it gets even better because in a team environment the team talks. . .so now the offending phrase is followed by the looming mushroom cloud of group discontent.
Some examples for your consideration:
Aren't you done with that project YET? To which the addressee is tempted to answer, "I would be if you didn't hang over my shoulder like a possum."
"Are you sick? You don't look well." Maybe, just maybe the manager is genuinely concerned, but the listener interpretation is "I must look like living hell." Don't make assumptions based on appearance - and really, really. . . if you must make assumptions, keep them to yourself.
"Good lord, it's just like managing children." This is definitely a poor choice of words unless, of course, you are working in a daycare.
"Good lord, its just like herding cats." An equally poor choice of words, unless, of course, you work for the humane society.
"Why can't you people just do your jobs and let me do the thinking?" Because, based on your choice of words, you're probably not very good at the latter.
"If I want it done right, I suppose I'll just have to do it myself." Actually, a much more accurate phrase would be "If I want done exactly as I would do it, I'll just have to do it myself."
"I work harder than anybody else here and don't get any appreciation." This is only effective if stated while on a cross.
"I just don't know what to do/I don't know what's going on." And that's what we pay a manager for.
And, believe it or not. . .
"I don't like managing people." 'Nuff said.
Like it? Share it!
Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" available for e-readers, tablets, PCs and Apple products on Amazon Kindle. If you are a member of Amazon Prime, you can now borrow this book for free!
"What did you do all day, anyway?"
"Well, I certainly wouldn't have done it THAT way."
Anyone in a relationship recognizes that the above phrases are nuclear explosives that will either generate an equally demonstrative counter-attack or long periods of silence. Perhaps both.
Too often we forget that we have a relationship with our work teams and similar to the above, the bad turn of a phrase just blows it all up. But wait. . .it gets even better because in a team environment the team talks. . .so now the offending phrase is followed by the looming mushroom cloud of group discontent.
Some examples for your consideration:
Aren't you done with that project YET? To which the addressee is tempted to answer, "I would be if you didn't hang over my shoulder like a possum."
"Are you sick? You don't look well." Maybe, just maybe the manager is genuinely concerned, but the listener interpretation is "I must look like living hell." Don't make assumptions based on appearance - and really, really. . . if you must make assumptions, keep them to yourself.
"Good lord, it's just like managing children." This is definitely a poor choice of words unless, of course, you are working in a daycare.
"Good lord, its just like herding cats." An equally poor choice of words, unless, of course, you work for the humane society.
"Why can't you people just do your jobs and let me do the thinking?" Because, based on your choice of words, you're probably not very good at the latter.
"If I want it done right, I suppose I'll just have to do it myself." Actually, a much more accurate phrase would be "If I want done exactly as I would do it, I'll just have to do it myself."
"I work harder than anybody else here and don't get any appreciation." This is only effective if stated while on a cross.
"I just don't know what to do/I don't know what's going on." And that's what we pay a manager for.
And, believe it or not. . .
"I don't like managing people." 'Nuff said.
Like it? Share it!
Brent Frerichs is the author of "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" available for e-readers, tablets, PCs and Apple products on Amazon Kindle. If you are a member of Amazon Prime, you can now borrow this book for free!
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