How do leaders help themselves and others to learn better? - Part #1

When we zoom out and look at the big picture right now, we are confronted with some uncomfortable information. First, work today is more about reacting and responding to e-mail than actually doing professional activities which create new value. According to Cal Newport in his thought-provoking book, Deep Work: Rules For Focused Success In A Distracted World (Grand Central Publishing, 2016), a 2012 McKinsey study found that the average knowledge worker now spends more than 60 percent of the work week engaged in electronic communication and Internet searching, with close to 30 percent of their time dedicated to reading and answering e-mail alone.

Second, in the normal, day to day, highly distracted work place, we expect everyone to continually get better at their jobs. However, we rarely give people feedback or tools which can help them do this. We also rarely give them regular time or space to learn or improve.

Third, we expect employees to move through the normal group development stages rapidly, namely forming, storming, norming and performing. However, from my perspective, we want improving which takes place after the performing stage, but we do not understand fully how it actually happens.

In short, given the above, we know that leaders can shape understanding or destroy it through their actions. Leaders can create clarity or confusion, especially if they are giving mixed messages. And finally, leaders can create work environments which are based on learning and respect or on distrust and silo protectionism.

The first step to helping people learn is to a build learning ecosystem within the organization. My definition of an ecosystem at work revolves around the notion of a group of people interacting and functioning well as a community. This happens when all involved create and execute their quarterly personal development plans. Recognizing that every 3 year strategic plan needs to be broken down into a 1 year organizational plan, and that all 1 year organizational plans need to be broken down into 1 year division/department plans, the goal each year is to have a 1 year personal plan which is made up of 4, 90 day plans. If this happens, then most 90 day plans are in alignment with the company’s strategic goals. These 90 day plans are focused on performance based goals.

But the big question for us here today is the following: What are the learning goals to help someone improve their performance? Most organizations have performance based goals but rarely set learning goals to improve performance. If they do set performance and learning based goals, then it is vitally important that they get the time and support to execute these goals.

This week, check out whether or not your key people have performance goals and performance improvement based goals. Next, make sure they are getting the time, support, and space to do this level of learning. Our overall goal from this action is to build a shared mindset around continually wanting to get better.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

How Do Leaders Increase Effective Collaboration? Part #2

Collaboration happens when there is the right kind of work environment in place.  The question leaders often ask me in executive coaching sessions is the following: “What is the right kind of environment to be in place to support more effective collaboration?”

A classic Lencioni answer would be when managers really know their people, these same people employed know who their work impacts and how, and finally those employed know how to assess their own progress or success. But a more in-depth answer is needed to fully understand the question. 

For the above to take place, performance management needs to assist managers and employees in becoming better. This system should provide  clarity about what is expected along with goals, roles, responsibilities and core values. An effective manager should take the above information and provide routine feedback about whether or not the employee is adequately meeting those expectations.

But let’s zoom out and look at the bigger picture related to collaboration and partnerships. Ron Adner in his book, The Wide Lens: A New Strategy For Innovation (Portfolio/Penguin, 2012) notes that “Success in a connected world requires that you manage your dependence.” And for these strategies to succeed, it is no longer enough to manage your innovation. Now you must manage your innovation ecosystem which means collaborating or partnering with more people outside the organization than just inside the company people.

The risks of this level of collaboration are many. The first, the above author points out, is Execution Risk, i.e. the challenges you face in bringing about your innovation to the required specifications within the required time. The second is Co-innovation Risk, i.e. the extent to which the successful commercialization of your innovation depends on the successful commercialization of other innovations. The third is Adoption Chain Risk, i.e. the extent to which partners will need to adopt your innovation before end consumers have a chance to assess the full value proposition. The reason I bring this all up is to remind us that not all partnerships are internal and there is a high potential for Co-innovation Risks and Adoption Chain Risks that could take place during the next six to nine months. Therefore, be very mindful of where, and when you are seeking collaboration because there are operational and strategic risks in play around the whole affair.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Managing Clarity & Performance

During a recent in-depth workshop on coaching, I asked everyone to bring me a copy of the form they used to record their coaching notes. During the break, I reviewed all the forms and found that everyone was using a different sheet. Furthermore, there was no coaching framework to improve performance. Mostly these forms were a way to record that an individual did something at work.

Over a dinner meeting that night, the CEO and I looked over all the different forms and discussed what was happening. Then in the middle of the night, I woke up and realized there were no goals on any of the sheets! I remembered the wonderful line form Alice and Wonderland where the books states, “if you don’t know where you are going, then you can get any where.”

I think our challenge as leaders this summer is to recognize that when people are managing performance, we should not consider goal setting as a known skill. Next, we should not consider working with goals as a known skill. Furthermore, we should not consider holding people accountable as a known skill. 

In the aforementioned organization, the whole focus of performance management was to just get stuff done and then get more stuff done. There were no individual goals connected to department goals connected to annual company goals etc. No wonder coaching was not working!

Upon reflection, I learned that when there is no framework for making sure there is on-going clarity, there will be no reason for coaching other than to acknowledge that people have gotten things done. 

Now when it comes to managing clarity and performance, every one these days just loves creating competencies models, implementing 360 degree feedback models, and having people fill out numerous strengths finder surveys. But my question is where do they cultivate an inside outside approach rather than an outside inside approach?

Now as a side bar, I have observed that 360 evaluations often create defensive reactions and result in little personal growth or change in behavior that lasts. Furthermore, they encourage people to simply deliver desired behaviors without giving them the personal insight and innovation to grow. In short, I agree with Kevin Cashman in his book, Leadership From The Inside Out: Becoming a Leader for Life, Berrett-Koehler, 2008, that 360 degree valuations create a formula destined to limit authentic influence by creating actors vs. leaders.

First, when successfully managing clarity and performance, let us remember that all change will depend on the willingness of the follower to do the work, and the ability of the follower to do the work. Regardless of what the leader does, the productivity and results depends on the actions and attitudes of the followers. Therefore, great leaders do not create followers. They create partners and colleagues.

Second, this whole process begins when we institute regular, quarterly performance management reviews. Here, we ask the following questions:

- How did you do on this quarter’s goals?

- Where can you improve your performance next quarter?

- What did you learn this quarter?

- What are your goals for next quarter?

- How did you role model our vision, mission and core values?

Next, we activate a talent development process. As Bill Conaty and Ram Charan point out in their book,  The Talent Masters: Why Smart Leaders Put People Before Numbers, Crown Business, 2010, “The first thing to understand about talent masters is that they can identify a person’s talent more precisely than most people because they excel at observing and listening.”

The goal of this work, from my vantage point, is to increase cognitive bandwidth. This begins by always having key people reading something because this expands their perspective and understanding of “world-class performance,” and gives them new language. People who are “talent masters” discuss this reading with them, ask how they are applying this reading, help them discover or improve their talents, and help them to figure out how to measure their progress

As the same time, the above authors share an important insight. “Making talent development a goal that is measured and rewarded helps, but much of the work is done through role modeling. Leaders establish the code of conduct through their own actions, questions, and openness to differing opinions in the struggle to pin down each leader’s unique blend of traits, skills, judgement, relationships, and experience.”  

In sum, I agree with Kevin Cashman when he noted that “all significant change begins with self-change.” This week become the leader you need to be so others can become the people they hope to be.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Some of the Major Problems in Creating Organizational Clarity

Currently the greatest external challenge to most companies is the high degree of strategic ambiguity. More and more organizations are doing a PESTEL analysis, i.e. the study of political, economic, social, technological, environmental, legal trends, and finding too many variables and uncertainties within the service delivery environment. Furthermore, these same companies are finding a lack of strategic clarity within the organization and a lack of strategic flexibility in systems and people also within the company. In short, many companies have discovered that they lack clear systems for managing or creating strategic adaptability. Overwhelmed by the complexity, they also are not proactively creating a system for building and maintaining an adaptive strategy.

From my vantage point, the underlying causes for organizations not being able to build and maintain an adaptive strategy starts first at the senior team level.  More and more of these teams are becoming dysfunctional. Rather than acting like teams, they often default to being senior leader work groups. Built around status and ego with a dash of artificial harmony, these so called teams avoid accountability and show little commitment for holistic strategic success. Furthermore, most are afraid of conflict and only talk about commitment, but show little behaviors related to it.

Second, most of these same organizations and their leaders are showing the hubris born of success, a problem first identified in Jim Collin’s book, How The Mighty Fall and Why Some Companies Never Give In, HarperCollins, 2009. As he writes, “Great enterprises can become insulated by success; accumulated momentum can carry an enterprise forward, for a while, even if leaders make poor decisions or lose discipline. Stage 1 kicks in when people become arrogant, regarding success virtually as an entitlement, and they loose sight of the true underlying factors that created success in the first place.” By neglecting their primary flywheel for success, these leaders allow “what” to replace “why”, not realizing that when the rhetoric of success replaces an understanding of why, there will be a decline in the learning orientation of successful people and the entire company.

Third, these same leaders also lack a clear understanding of the relationship between culture and strategy, resulting in a lack of “institutionalizing” a clear definition of their culture and not leveraging their organizational core values to their competitive advantage. The result is that the company and in particular the senior team tolerate people in management and leadership positions whose behavior is out of alignment with the stated culture, core values and strategy.

While the above is taking place at the senior team and cultural levels, the next challenge for many leaders and their companies is how to successfully capitalize on expansion and growth opportunities. Most think of it as an effort problem when the vast number of problems actually fall into the area of strategic infrastructure to support expansion and growth opportunities. 

As we all know, new innovations compete for company resources, i.e. time, talent, and management attention, with the cash generating projects during any fiscal year. When all of the company’s budget, reporting and management processes are focused on the current fiscal year, they also define the compensation and incentives systems and thus focus everyone on accountability to the current fiscal year’s goals. If people do look ahead during the current fiscal year, they look to R&D and their long range strategic options by reviewing research, data and trends. The result is that any new innovations fall into a Bermuda Triangle where they are considered to a degree strategic but not yet fully implementable because the resources of time, talent and management attention are not fully given to them. In this no man’s land, the “new projects” here fail to be embraced because they can not deliver like the current fiscal year goals and systems. And because they can not show a fast ROI like current fiscal year products and services, they also are then hampered by lack of full operational support. Therefore, the new innovations become “demo bait” for selling more of the current fiscal year projects and services. 

Finally, there is one other problem that is causing many organizations to struggle at this time period. They do not understand the real challenge of talent management and performance management. They consider them to be something different but do not recognize that they are also interconnected. For example, many leaders do not recognize that talent management and development is about preparing an individual for future positions within the company, i.e. building bench strength, while performance management is about managing their current performance as it relates to agreed upon annual goals and 90 day plans. 

Given the aggregate of the aforementioned issues, many organizations need a clear strategic infrastructure which helps them to adapt strategically, manage talent and performance, and prepare for and implement strategic innovation. The sum of the above problems are hampering many organizations who are seeking a better future.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

The Goal of Coaching

Every week I listen to senior executives telling me that their mid-level managers need to become better coaches. “If they would just spend more time coaching front line supervisors and front line employees better, then we would not have the current problems that we have.” While this line of thinking is interesting, it makes some basic assumptions that are wrong. First, it assumes that mid-level managers have experienced good coaching themselves, which is rarely the case. Second, it assumes that they have the capacity to do good coaching which also is rarely the case. To expect middle managers to coach better means we need to help them become better coaches, not just expect them to be better coaches.

The first step in this process is to help middle managers understand the difference between transactive coaching and transformational coaching. The former focuses on the transferring of competencies, skills and/or techniques from one person to another. As a fine leader told me years ago, “they don’t know what they don’t know.” The later, transformational coaching, focuses on shifting people's view about themselves, their work, their values and their sense of purpose plus their view of the world around them. The combination of both methods of coaching and being conscious when you are doing each one and why transforms coaching from a random act of problem solving into a focus and structured exercise.

However, the major problem I often discover when brought in to solve a coaching problem is that few people are actually working with SMART Goals, i.e. ones that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. While this may seem like such a minor point, it is nevertheless a critical one because the goal of coaching is to help someone to achieve continual outstanding performance.

K. Anders Ericsson, Michael J. Prietula, and Edward T. Cokely in their wonderful article called “The Making of an Expert” in the July-August 2007 issue of the Harvard Business Review note that expert coaches “accelerate your learning in an organized manner,” “give constructive feedback that challenges them to excel to the next level of their expertise,” and “help you become more and more independent so you are able to set your own development plans.” In essence, “good coaches help their students learn how to rely on an ‘inner coach’.”

The goal of coaching is always improved performance. The key is to figure out where to begin. Is it mind set or skill set? Answer the question and you have begun the journey in the right direction.  

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

How Successful Companies Work - part #2

When you visit or work in a successful company, they all have a special feel to them. It is unique and very noticeable. One element that makes this take place, from my perspective, is that successful companies institutionalize their culture without bureaucratizing it.

Struggling companies always have a system of administration marked by officialism, red tape and proliferation. They lack flexibility and initiative due to excessive adherence to regulations. This is particularly visible in the behavior of those in management and leadership positions, and how they interact with key systems.

Patrick Lencioni in his delightful book, The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business, Jossey-Bass, 2012, writes “Human systems are tools for reinforcement of clarity. They give an organization a structure for tying its operations, culture, and management together, even when leaders aren’t around to remind people.” Lencioni notes that this level of clarity takes place when leaders engage in the following activities:

- creating collective focus and clarity through out the organization

- cascading clarity 

- reinforcing clarity through human systems, i.e. performance management

- developing cultural consistency

As to performance management, he explains it this way: “Essentially performance management is the series of activities that ensures that managers provide employees with clarity about what is expected of them, as well as regular feedback about whether or not they are adequately meeting those expectations.”

From my vantage point as a consultant and executive coach, I observe that successful companies practice what they preach. They also constantly reinforce it on a day-to-day basis. For them, the brand promise is a set of core behaviors rather than just words. While we all recognize that the culture is the strategy in successful companies, the key this fall is to not let the dark side of bureaucracy to slip in and take over, thus neutralizing the strategic advantage of a clear and focused culture.

For those of you who are seeking more information on how to change your organizational culture and avoid a growth in bureaucracy, then I would encourage you to read a recent blog post called “The Key to Changing Organizational Culture” by John Kotter, Forbes - 9/27/12. Here, Kotter, the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, Emeritus at the Harvard Business School, explains that “virtually no one clearly defines what they mean by “culture”.” Of course, as per normal for John Kotter, he explains what it means, i.e. “culture consists of group norms of behavior and the underlying shared values that help keep those norms in place.” Next, he explores where culture comes from and how it changes. While it is a short blog post, it also is a thought-provoking one. Here is the link: http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkotter/2012/09/27/the-key-to-changing-organizational-culture/?utm_source=web&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=blog

While you are reading Kotter’s ideas on cultural change, I also encourage you to read his Forbes, 7/12/2011 blog post called “Change Management vs. Change Leadership -- What’s the Difference?”. As Kotter points out, there is a big difference between change management and change leadership. The former focuses on minimizing “the distractions and impacts of change” while the latter focuses on “the driving forces, visions and processes that fuel large-scale transformation.” Again, it a short blog post but one worth reading. Here is the link for your reading enjoyment: http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkotter/2011/07/12/change-management-vs-change-leadership-whats-the-difference/

In summary, successful companies stay focused on their strategic nexus, the union of their mission, vision and values plus their strategic plan.  This depth of clarity and attention allows them to handle the normal internal and external challenges that surface in any business without having to resort to developing a bureaucracy that tramples creativity, commitment and effectiveness. 

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Talent Management

Earlier this week, I wrote about the importance of talent management particularly as we seek to grow our organizations into global companies. Recently, when working on a project related to leadership development, I reviewed my notes from the book by Bill Conaty and Ram Charan called The Talent Masters: Why Smart Leaders Put People Before Numbers, Crown Business, 2010. In this excellent resource, the authors point out that “if businesses managed their money as carelessly as they managed their people, most would be bankrupt.” They further explain that “in the fast-changing global marketplace, the half-life of core competencies grows shorter.... Only one competency lasts. It is the ability to create a steady, self-renewing stream of leaders.”

I agree whole heartedly and believe more and more this fall that talent management must move to the front burner in more and more strategic planning meetings. One way to do this is to embrace the core principles in Conaty and Charan’s book. They are the following:

1. An enlightened leadership team, starting with the CEO who really “gets it” and sees talent development as a competitive advantage.

2. A performance-driven meritocracy, a willingness to differentiate talent based on results as well as the values and behaviors behind those results.

3. Explicit definition and articulation of values, citing strong company beliefs and expected behaviors.

4. Candor and trust, leading to better insights into people’s talents and potential, focusing on development needs to accelerate personal growth.

5. Talent assessment/development systems that have as much rigor and repeatability as systems used for finance and operations.

6. Human resource leaders as business partners and trustee of the talent development system with functional expertise equal to the CFO’s.

7. Investment in continuous learning and improvement to build and continuously update the leadership brand in sync with the changing world.

If you are grooming key people in order to expand their leadership potential for 2013 and beyond, then this is an excellent book to read. 

If you are ready to commit to talent management, then now is an excellent time to sign up those key people to participate in the 2013 From Vision to Action Leadership Training. Here is a link for more information about this unique learning opportunity: http://www.chartyourpath.com/VTA-Leadership-Training.html

If you don’t have time to read the above book, then I encourage you to read the following article by Jay Freeman, Senior Advisor to the Gallup Organization, called “You Don’t Know Where Your Company’s Going” which can be found in their on-line Gallup Business Journal. Here is the link:  http://businessjournal.gallup.com/content/157718/don-know-company-going.aspx 

This is a very good, short article for leaders who want to grow and change their company, i.e. improved performance and profitability.  In order to prevent a “destination disconnect,” a symptom of weak cross-organizational communication, the author maps out a series of steps to create better clarity and focus. I particularly enjoyed his comments about metrics.

Talent management, strategic planning, and organizational communication and clarity are all inter-related. Now is the time to keep learning about how to do them better.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

The Big Picture

“We live in a VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) which makes it impossible to know the future.” notes Bob MCDonald, CEO of P&G. This spring when we step back from our day to day complexities, we see that instability is chronic in our society, uncertainty is permanent, change is accelerating, and disruption is common. And for those of us who hold on to this big picture, we know we can neither predict nor govern most events. As Jim Collins and Morten Hansen pointed out in their book, Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck - Why Some Thrive Despite Them All (HarperCollins, 2011), “Given this rise of complexity, globalization, and technology, all of which are accelerating change and increase volatility we must come to accept that there is no “new normal.” There will only be a continuous series of “not normal” times.”

When I step back from my day to day work, I notice the following:

First, as I noted earlier in this blog, there are three technological tsunami’s hitting the shores of business during the coming years. They are 1) mobile phones becoming smart phones, 2) the increased use of social networking to solve problems, and 3) the subtle but powerful shift to cloud computing. These three huge waves will impact us for many years to come. While I can not predict the true impact of them, I know they are coming and to a degree are already impacting us. For those of you who are interested in all of this, I again recommend reading the following article: “CEOs Tackle Technology” by Jennifer Pellet from the January/February 2012 issue of Chief Executive magazine. Here is the link: http://chiefexecutive.net/ceos-tackle-technology.

Second, in the area of strategy, I continue to be intrigued by how many companies are talking about growth, mergers and acquisitions. It is now a regular part of all strategic planning cycles and yet I do have some concerns as we enter this new round of growth. First, very few of these organizations are considering their “hinge assumptions” or the strategic variables that could cause their core assumptions to be misaligned. For example, in the world of non-profits, the fundamental questions are simple: Will the state continue to pay for this service? Will new funding sources become available to support it? And finally, will this new service growth result in a greater degree of quality? Talking about these assumptions are vital to success.

Next in the area of strategy, more people need to explore whether or not they have the capacity to plan well and then whether or not this is matched by the capacity to execute well. More times than not the capacity does not match the strategy. Great plans need great people, and great people deserve great planning.

Also in the area of strategy, I am particularly concerned that many for-profit and non-profit Boards are not configured for growth. In the non-profit world, the paradigm shift at the Board level from one of focusing on fiduciary oversight to a more strategic and philanthropic role, i.e. one of generating significant financial support over time, and the development of financial relationships as in friend raising to generate a new and sustainable financial foundation, is rarely present. Furthermore, both in the for-profit worlds and the non-profit world, few Board members are experienced in the strategic oversight of a growing company and thus default to fiduciary oversight instead of strategic counsel.

Furthermore, in the world of strategy, I continue to be concerned about the lack of awareness of the importance of branding and marketing when it comes to growth. I believe many people are coming to the world of growth assuming that “if they build it, people will come.” While this may work in the movie, “Field of Dreams,” experienced leaders know that a well thought out branding and marketing strategy are important to long term success.

At the same time, all of us know that growing companies need a strong infrastructure. The investment and development of core operational systems and people to support what is being considered must be included in the strategic planning process and implementation. For example, the following areas need more investment and consideration: technology, performance management, financial management, and as mentioned earlier brand management.

Finally, in the area of strategy, everyone needs to spend more time discussing metrics. The question of “How do we measure the success of a new strategic direction?” needs to be more thoughtfully explored. Many companies are not exploring this in great depth and thus defaulting to old metrics which may or may not provide accurate information for improved decision making.

Third, when looking at the bigger picture, I see more and more people within companies being put on performance management plans. As all of these PIPs, i.e. performance improvement plans, are happening, there is a lot of firing and hiring taking place plus very talented people are starting to quit their dysfunctional companies and move to better opportunities. Leaders have a “show me the results” mentality now and do not have the time or energy to suffer fools. As these executives push for results, they also want cultural alignment, and brand clarity. When they encounter poorly designed systems, as noted above, especially ones not designed for growth, these same leaders are struggling greatly.

Fourth, it would be foolish not to mention when looking at the bigger picture that the Millennials are transforming the work place. The Millennials, the generation of workers born roughly between 1980 and 2000, are entering the workforce in droves. An estimated 44 million are already working and 46 million more are to become a part of the workforce in the years ahead. Many experts now say that this generation will come to dominate the workforce in both number and attitude—and in the process reshape the work experience of all employees.

The big question this spring when it comes to Milleanials is the following: What is important to this generation and how can employers best tap into the potential they have to offer at work? Given that 75 percent of this generation reports planning to find a new job as the economy improves, it is worth our investment of time and energy to see how best we can attract, motivate, and retain them in our organizations today.

Last year at the Fall 2011 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable, I told participants we needed to focus less on control, compliance and compensation, and more on strategy, talent and execution. When I review the aforementioned bigger picture, this spring I believe we need to focus more on the following: develop or continuing to develop a strategic mindset, hold a focus on operational excellence, and continue to improve personal performance.

Looking at the bigger picture is important. It also may be a bit overwhelming. Still, we need to remember that change in one part influences and changes all other parts. Time looking at the whole helps us better understand the interconnection between the parts.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

Short Articles, Big Impact

Occasionally, I read an article or blog post that has a big impact. Here are a couple of ones that I have found recently to be quite thought-provoking.

First, I recommend reading “What Happens When the Strategy Consultants Leave?” by Randy Ottinger of Kotter International. He writes about how leaders can move their organization forward after their strategy consultants have departed. It gives some fresh insights particularly if you are knowledgeable about Kotter’s 8- Step model. Here is the link:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkotter/2012/01/04/what-happens-when-the-strategy-consultants-leave/

For those of you who are familiar with John Kotter’s book Leading Change, you will enjoy his recent post called “Success: A Breeding Ground for Complacency?” If you are wanting to seize on some big opportunities and make change happen in 2012, this is a good read for you and for your team. Here is the link:

http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2012/01/success-breeding-ground-for-complacency.html

Finally, many people have been discussing with me issues related to performance management. While there are many ways to address this issue, I think a good place to start is to read a blog post called “The Performance and Potential Matrix (9 Box Grid) - an Update” by Dan McCarthy, Director of Executive Development Programs at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics. He introduces a good framework for talent management, succession planning and general performance coaching. Here is the link:

http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2012/01/performance-and-potential-matrix-9-box.html

Hope this starts your New Year off with some good and thought-provoking reading, and group discussions.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

People Before Numbers

My search started during a conversation at the Spring 2011 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable. As a small group of us explored issues related to performance management and talent development plus how to prepare for effective succession planning, I not only realized how inter-connected all of these issues were but I also realized that I wanted to know more about how very large companies integrated these elements into a coherent and consistent talent management system.

During the coming weeks and months, I started asking questions about this subject to a variety of leaders in many different organizations. While the answers were interesting, I just did not feel like I was getting my arms around the whole picture. Then, when reading a recent issue of the Harvard Business Review, I came across some information about a book published in 2010 that I had missed reading. It was authored by Bill Conaty, former Senior Vice President at General Electric, and Ram Charan, co-author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller book Execution. Their book, The Talent Masters: Why Smart Leaders Put People Before Numbers, Crown Business, 2010, explains that “If business managed their money as carelessly as they managed their people, most would be bankrupt.” Together these two authors explain that talent is the leading indicator of whether or not the success of an organization happens over time. As they explain, “In the fast-changing global marketplace, the half-life of core competencies grows shorter.... Only one competency lasts. It is the ability to create a steady, self-renewing stream of leaders.”

Furthermore, Ron Nersesian, the head of Agilent Technologies Electronic Measurement Group, who is quoted within the book, points out, “Developing people’s talent is the whole of the company at the end of the day. Our products all are time perishable. The only thing that stays is the institutional learning and the development of the skills and the capabilities that we have in our people.”

The book, The Talent Masters, explores in-depth how a variety of companies like GE, P&G, Novartis, Hindustan Uniliver, and Agilent, create and manage their total leadership development systems including such elements as same-day succession planning, performance management, leadership development and career management. The essence of the book revolves around seven core principles. They are the following:

1. An enlightened leadership team, starting with the CEO who really “gets it” and sees talent development as a competitive advantage.

2. A performance-driven meritocracy, a willingness to differentiate talent based on results as well as the values and behaviors behind those results.

3. Explicit definition and articulation of values, citing strong company beliefs and expected behaviors.

4. Candor and trust, leading to better insights into people’s talents and potential, focusing on development needs to accelerate personal growth.

5. Talent assessment/development systems that have as much rigor and repeatability as systems used for finance and operations.

6. Human resource leaders as business partners and trustee of the talent development system with functional expertise equal to the CFO’s.

7. Investment in continuous learning and improvement to build and continuously update the leadership brand in sync with the changing world.

As I worked my way through the book, I enjoyed seeing how the principles played out in different companies and yet resulted in the same consistent and positive results. For those of you who are seeking new insights and perspectives on these subjects and have the time to read 302 pages, I believe you will find this book very worthwhile.

Geery Howe, M.A.Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer inLeadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational ChangeMorning Star Associates319 - 643 - 2257

A Key to Performance Coaching

James Kouzes and Barry Posner write in their wonderful book called A Leader’s Legacy, Jossey-Bass, 2006, that “When we choose to lead every day, we choose to serve. Leading is not about what we gain from others but what others gain from us.”

Every day people are working hard and putting in long hours to get done what needs to be done. Most employees, like their supervisors, are stretched by the pressure to meet these expectations and most want to do a good job even if factors beyond their control prevent them from achieving this on a regular basis. Furthermore, most people are struggling to balance all of their work commitments with their home commitments.

In the midst of these challenges, I am a firm believer that Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman in their book, First, Break All The Rules: What The World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently, Simon & Schuster, 1999, were right when they wrote “People don’t change that much. Don’t waste time trying to put in what was left out. Try to draw out what was left in. That is hard enough.” I also agree with the above authors that a “manager’s role is the ‘catalyst’ role,” namely to “speed up the reaction between the employee’s talents and the company’s goals, and between the employee’s talents and the customer’s needs.”

Yet, when we set clear expectations, motivate people to meet them and develop them for future challenges and opportunities, we, as leaders and managers, need to remember that some people do not have the skill set or know how to achieve certain goals. And thus, every day we need to coach people on their performance.

One thing I am noticing this winter is how few executives truly spend time on relationship building as part of performance coaching. These leaders are in numerous meetings every day and there often is a line of people waiting to meet with them in between these meetings, but on most days this is nothing more than technical and adaptive problem solving. It is common and normal work for a senior executive, but it also can be difficult, burdensome and tiring. Still, this is not relationship building.

Relationships are built on shared experiences and extremely good listening. They begin with someone investing the time and energy to learn another person’s stories and to understand their history. It is not fast and yet it is very important because if the purpose of leadership is “to mobilize others to serve a purpose,” a concept that Kouzes and Posner suggest in the aforementioned book, then we must realize that this depth of motivation comes from having an authentic and respectful relationship with another. It does not come from a contract or being present at a weekly meeting. It comes when we know another and understand another to the degree that we are willing to serve another.

As I move through these first months of 2011, I also note that more and more people want to discuss their whole life, not just their work life. They seek a depth of relationship where they can be seen as whole people rather than as fragmented individuals moving paper from one side of the desk to another while simultaneously filling in small cells on spread sheets in a computer. They seek to be inspired rather than overwhelmed.

In a fast paced, 3G moving to 4G broadband world, we are discovering that we have lost touch with our mentors and sometimes even ourselves. This winter and this spring, I strongly encourage you to spend more time building relationships with your key people and to learn their history and stories. Then, when possible and appropriate, share your own. It is time to coach the young and the old, to build and maintain community, and to recognize that fast is not always effective.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates # 319 - 643 - 2257

Doing More With Less

THEME: New Year, More Challenges

FOCUS: Doing More With Less

Monday morning: March 8, 2010

Dear friends,

Since the beginning of the year, I have been in many executive and management team meetings. Nine times out of ten, the CEO or Executive Director will take me aside after the meeting and ask me the same question: “So, what do you think of my team?”

First, when presented with such a question, I remember the research of Jim Collins in his book, Good to Great, which stated the importance of “who before what.” As he wrote, “The key point ... is not just the idea of getting the right people on the team. The key point is that "who" questions come before "what" decisions - before vision, before strategy, before organizational structure, before tactics. First who, then what - as a rigorous discipline, consistently applied.”

At the exact same time, I remember a small bit of wisdom shared with me by a Wisconsin executive, namely “you can not fix stupid.” And right now, there are a lot of companies waking up and realizing that they can no longer tolerant “stupid.” Performance management, accountability and the notion that all employees must meet expectations is becoming more and more mission critical as winter slowly moves toward spring.

Nevertheless, when a brief shining light of clarity pierces the darkness of poor performance, some one will trot out one of the most stupidest sayings and expect brilliance to follow. The new mantra of this economic downturn is “it is time to do more with less.” On one hand, this statement is completely correct. On the hand, it is the biggest piece of management gibberish this side of the Mississippi.

While we all know there are less resources at this time period, we must recognize that doing more is only a temporary solution. More effort and more time at work will not yield better results. When money and resources are tight, working smarter is the preferred route to success rather than working harder and working longer. However, working smarter is not the chosen path in many companies because it will require an organization to review and possibly challenge status quo. On the other hand, working harder with less preserves status quo and reduces conflict. What many forget is that doing this over an extended period of time causes increased burnout and disengagement.

Nowadays, people are getting burned out at work at an amazing rate. The result of prolonged economic stress, lack of strategic clarity and more hours at the office is resulting in increased disengagement at work by vast numbers of people. It also is causing your best people to start looking for employment with other companies. Where they once had careers, they now have jobs.

Many organizations do not believe me when I share with them that their best people can leave at the drop of a hat. And for those of us who work with top talent, I regret to inform you this morning that they are now on the move. The good people are looking, applying and seeking better jobs. The best companies are actively courting, recruiting and hiring these people. In short, doing more with less is not a sustainable course of action.

This week, recognize that all organizations need to evaluate and redefine both it’s strategic direction and the key messages that are being sent to it’s employees. Now is the time to work smarter and better not just harder.

Have a successful week,

Geery

P.S. Spring is a time period when many organizations hold critical retreats as they plan the later half of this year and begin planning for 2011 - 2013. For those involved in planning these key meetings, I suggest you read the following article: Sull, Donald. “Are You Ready to Rebound? Seven Questions to Ask.” March 2010 issue of the Harvard Business Review.

Sull is a professor and faculty director of executive education at the London Business School. Over ten years, he has studied firms that have excelled in some of the world’s fastest-changing markets, such as China and Brazil, and most unforgiving industries like financial services and fast fashion. As he writes, “Through my research, I’ve identified common obstacles that undermine a firm’s ability to execute on their established strategies and take advantage of unexpected opportunities. By asking themselves the seven questions below, managers can quickly assess their companies’ readiness to rebound.”

Here are the seven questions:

1. Do you miss opportunities that others spot?

2. Are your hydraulics broken? “Organizational hydraulics are the mechanisms senior executives use to translate corporate objectives into aligned action by individuals across the organization - that is, processes to set strategic priorities, cascade objectives, and measure employees’ progress in achieving their goals.”

3. Do you reward mediocrity and call it teamwork?

4. Are your core values a joke?

5. Are you talking about the wrong things?

6. Have your Vikings become farmers? “Executives who excel at execution resemble Nordic Vikings, who attacked when they saw an unprotected spot and retreated when they realized they couldn’t win, maneuvering their longboats toward the next opportunity. Once Vikings seized a bit of land, however, they often remained to farm it. Over time, they came to value the security of protecting what they had more than the adventure of pursuing new opportunities. Organizations are susceptible to a similar dynamic.”

7. Do you rely on heroic leadership?

If you are seeking to improve execution within your company during 2010 and beyond, then I suggest you read this article and discuss it with your senior team. Working your way through the seven questions will generate considerable insight and perspective for all involved.

Geery Howe, M.A.
Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in
Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change

Morning Star Associates
319 - 643 - 2257

People management

THEME: Transformation in the Midst of 2009

FOCUS: People management

Monday morning: September 21, 2009

Dear friends,

Performance management and managing talent are the new buzz words for the fall. They are hot topics in every corner office in the country. While the best companies began working on this back in ‘05 - ‘07, if not before, every one else has hopped on this band wagon now and started to focus on these issues. I routinely get calls from current and perspective clients where the major problem is the lack of a performance management system. But, if the best companies were working on this nearly 4-5 years ago, what are they doing now?

As I wrote in last week’s Monday Thoughts, the best are building community. In particular, they are attempting to build and maintain healthy social relationships and networks. Still, when I reflect, visit and dig into what exactly the senior executives are doing, I discover that they also are returning to some important but not necessarily flashy or best seller level work, namely redefining or rebuilding clarity about mission and purpose.

We live in a world which has been shaken, if not stirred, during the last 12 months. People have been in denial about our interconnectedness and have been moving at rocket speed for so long that the recession over the last 12 months has really shaken up their perception of themselves and their world. As a result, some people are feeling overwhelmed and depressed. Others are numb from it all. Some are keeping themselves busy in order to maintain their denial. Finally, those who are still employed after all of the layoffs and restructurings, are attempting to stay under the radar screen. They are survivors and they are swamped by doing all of the work of others plus their own piles.

The big question many are asking this month is simple and complex: “Why?” In a fragmented world where hope is lost and struggles abound, many people are questioning their own self-worth and the worth of the work they are doing.

Here is where performance management needs a sound foundation because having a workable system will not make a difference unless there is a clear reason for why we do what we do. In successful companies, clarity of mission or purpose is the bedrock of everything else, especially people management. It creates focus and clarity. When combined with a well designed set of core values, it can help people not only know what to do and how to do it, but also why we do what we do.

Recently, I was visiting with a new manager at a company I have worked with for many years. I asked him what he had learned after 6 months. He said to me that the mission and core values are talked about at every meeting. “They are not words on the wall around here,” he explained. “They are really used to make decisions.” I smiled because I find this happens in all of the best organizations. It also is the critical difference to making performance management work so well. When a matrix for decision making is in place, then a performance management systems works so much better than if it is just a system for setting goals and checking on goals.

This week, go back and review how you are creating clarity about the mission of your organization. Also, continue to talk about mission and core values as you build or rebuild your organization’s performance management system.

Enjoy your week,

Geery

Geery Howe, M.A.
Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in
Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change

Morning Star Associates
319 - 643 - 2257