The Imperfections of Perfection

This will shock you - it's not a perfect world.

Every day and every moment the reality of our imperfections is evidenced.   Why then, are we surprised, shocked and chagrined when the imperfections  evident themselves at work?   Why do we think that work is supposed to be perfect when the rest of the world is marked with imperfections?

The mistake happens.   The miscommunication occurs.    At some workplaces, it seems as if the world is going to stop  because (gasp!) "How can we possibly be a great team or company when we were wrong?"   Where is the art of learning from what went wrong and moving forward?

Let's not confuse the pursuit of perfection (which may be folly because perfection is really not attainable) with the building  of excellence.

The building of excellence starts with the foundational  reality that we work in a world full of bumps and flaws and mishaps;    our teams are comprised of humans who, however good they may be, are going to make mistakes and wrongs will occur.  

Excellence occurs when we learn from those mistakes, when we have teams resilient enough to quickly bounce back, when we ourselves embrace our reality and through that embrace become fuller, more understanding and wiser individuals.

I have  seen both teams  and leaders trip all over themselves when a simple mistake occurs.   Hours are spent on the modern day equivalent of gnashing of teeth.     Isn't it a wiser path to quickly understand the error and move on with the absolute certainty that yes, another error will occur, and you and your team will learn from that as well?

I'm not even sure how to categorize and rationalize perfection.   I do believe, however, that great leaders know the realities of imperfections and through that knowledge build excellent teams.

Like it?  Share it?

My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available for e-readers, tablets and PCs on Amazon Kindle. 

About that Morale Problem. . .

When I hear leaders say something akin to "The morale in my team is so low. . .they are so discouraged. . .they don't even like to come to work;"  I shudder.  My first concern is the team itself;   if they are in fact so demoralized - it is a terrible place to be and work.  My immediate second concern is the leader - and my question is, "What is the leader doing about it?"

Often when I hear managers complain about demoralized teams it is quickly accompanied by the explanation that all of the bad stuff is external and there isn't anything that can be done about it.   Right there is an explanation for half of the problem - if the leader has abdicated responsibility for what he or she can do for their team, truly the battle is lost.

We can only positively impact the workplace when we accept the responsibility, through good times and bad, that we are responsible for the tone of the workplace.   Even though there may be negative external forces, it is the leader's responsibility to positively lead their team through those.   So here are a few litmus test questions that leaders of demoralized teams should ask themselves.

• Is the team truly demoralized. . .or is the team just reflective about how I may feel about my work?
• If the team is demoralized. . .am I as their leader part of the problem (for example, the "it's not my job to be liked" management style) or part of the solution that is trying to put the team back on track?
• Can I lead my team through bad times?   I once had a group interview with a team in a very successful company.   Said company had recently suffered an unusual downturn in sales.   When I asked the team what I could do for them, their reply was "Lead us through this hard time because we've never had to deal with it before."
• Whether in bad times or good times, am I focusing my team on what is do-able?   For instance, during a recessionary period, it's folly to focus a team on a double digit sales increase;   it would be more satisfying to focus on customer retention and satisfaction.
• Am I enabling my team to play well with others and stay in tune with the mission of the company?   Internal competition and infighting does not build character and is not satisfying.   Teams that can see and stay aligned with the big picture are successful and satisfied teams.

Admittedly, there are a few situations in which external forces are so awful that the leader can't be effective;  in which case, it is time for the leader to move on for their own personal satisfaction.

Overall, however, our job is to lead and guide our teams with energy and positive direction;  you do that and you won't have a morale problem.

Like it?   Share it!

My book, "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available for PCs, tablets and e-readers on Amazon Kindle.   Thanks for reading  - Brent

How to Lose Weight at Work

So, the New Year's goals include, maybe. . .weight loss?    Here you go.

Perhaps you complain, like many of us, of the amount of time that you are tied to your desk slaving to the computer.

So seriously, get out of your chair already!  Your body will be happier,  your mind will be refreshed and bonus (!) you will be a better leader.

First of all, if just keep sitting at your chair, staring at the same old work on the same old computer screen. . .you're probably losing the dimensionality of your work.    You begin looking at things the same old way because, well. . .you're literally looking at things the same  old way.

I find that if I'm stuck or tired or just over it, it often helps to get up and go for a walk.   By getting away from my desk, and getting into a new venue, I find I start to look at things in new ways.   When I get back to my desk I'm ready to go  and ultimately am more productive.

There are other reasons to get up out of your chair. . .and most of those reasons revolve around improving your effectiveness by building better relationships.   My view is that if you are relying on e-mail, texts, and messaging to build professional partnerships. . .those partnerships are probably as shallow as the vehicles by which you are communicating.

Get out of your chair and talk to people face to face.   Listen,  e-mail is great for communicating information but it doesn't build relationships.   If you are having a face to face, you are getting so much more information:   intonation, body language, the chance to explain a statement which you instantly know was misunderstood.

Then there's the fact that you are taking the effort to go see another person.   That is indicative to the individual that they truly are important to you and you are interested in fostering an even better business relationship.     Bonus:   because you are having a face to face, the conversation may stray (and that's okay) to other facets,  providing you with a greater opportunity to communicate your priorities and learning what's important to your professional partner.

(And let's go one step - or in this case, many miles - further.   It just may be worth the airline ticket to go see the individual with whom you are trying to do business.    There is only so much that can be accomplished through long distance communications.)

Getting out of your chair is not a waste of time - instead, I find that it  makes one more efficient with their use of time.    Besides, you burn a few calories - and that's a good thing.

Like it?   Share it!

My book, "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available for e-readers, tablets and PCs on Amazon Kindle.

Whhhhoooooooo Cares?

I'm fearful that one of the more marvelous moments of "Into the Woods" will be regarded as just a great joke when there is really so much more that can be learned.  The baker and his wife, instead of resuming their search for the three items they are supposed to find, start bickering over a trivial matter.   Suddenly, the witch appears and stops them cold with "Whhhhoooooooo cares?"

Funny?  Yes.  Profound?   More than we would like to think.  How many times have you been part of a discussion and you think to yourself exactly the same thing, "Who cares?"  And you would be right.

The witch goes on to make the argument that there are bigger issues that they collectively share and the minor distraction was fast becoming a major reason why they were not attaining their goal.   The same is true in the workplace, the seemingly minor distractions that people get stuck on derail us from achieving our goals.

There is the bickering over details:  "he said, she said,"  "well, I didn't get that part of the report,"   "I just feel that perhaps . . ."   Stay on track. . .because  whhhhoooooooo cares about all of this?   At the end of the day. . .nobody.

Then there are the arguments over whether it should be semi-colon. . .or whether it should be italicized. . .or if just perhaps a certain word would make more sense.   Honestly. . .whhhhoooooooo cares?  Make a decision and move on.

Or perhaps someone has neglected to do a report for the past two and a half years, and just now someone noticed.   Seriously. . .if someone just noticed after two and a half years. . .nobody cares and it wasn't needed.

The minor bickerings are just that. . .unfortunately, someone usually slaps the label of personal integrity on their argument and then everyone is stuck.  Let's be clear, it's not personal integrity. . .it may be stubbornness, it may be insecurity. . .but the minor arguments are not about personal integrity.

Yes, there are more meaningful issues that are deserving of discussion, negotiation and clarification. . .let's just be certain that they truly are meaningful. . .that the outcome will make a difference.   It's up to us to monitor the chatter and referee the calls.

Because the most lethal "Whhhhoooooooo cares?" is the one in which the team gets so caught up in things that nobody cares about. . .that truly, the team ends up caring about nothing.

Be certain of this. . .teams want to care about things that really do matter.

Like it?   Share it!

My book "Courageous Questions, Confident Leaders" is available from Amazon Kindle for e-readers, tablets and PCs.