Bring the “Lost Tribes” Home

There are four pillars to a successful organization, namely people, structure, systems and culture. They are supported by a strong foundation of mission, vision and core values.  

Most leaders like talking about people, systems, and culture. They also like talking about the alignment between these elements and the mission, vision and core values.

Few leaders like to talk about structure. Who reports to whom is not a hot topic. But, given all I have heard and seen this winter moving toward spring, it is time we think deeply about structure.

First, does your structure match your strategic intent? We work hard on clarifying our strategy through in-depth planning. Then we make the mistake of assuming that our current structure is the right structure to execute this strategy. 

Recently, I have discovered that the problems many organizations are having related to executing their strategy and integrating it into their day to day operations is not a culture or systems problem, but a structural problem. The wrong people and the wrong teams are reporting to the wrong person. We forget some days that there is a time and place to reorganize in order for the strategic intent and goals of the organization to be successfully executed.

Second, we have to ask another and more difficult question, namely do we have the right people in the right places within our organizational chart? When the structure is right, I have also seen that sometimes the problem is a classic “right person in the wrong seat on the bus”, using an old Jim Collins phrase. I also have discovered that we sometimes have the “wrong person in the right seat of the bus.” Both of these are connected. The result of either of these problems is that some teams and departments start to feel like they are the “lost tribes of Israel wandering in the dessert for 40 years.” 

I had never heard this phrase before until a CEO I had worked with for many years pointed out this problem. As he said to me that day, “We need to bring the lost tribes home.” And he was 100% correct. 

Effective integration of quality, empowerment and principle-centered leadership requires us as leaders to not let any people, teams or departments to feel like they are lost tribes wandering in the desert.

This week, sit down and reflect on whether or not your organization’s structure is in full alignment with your current strategy and on-going strategic intent. Second, check to make sure you have the right leaders in the right spots within the chart. And finally, make sure there are no lost tribes within your organization. This is not easy work, but is the important work that leaders need to do.

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

How do leaders cope with prolonged uncertainty and having too much to do? - part #2

When working through prolonged uncertainty and having way to much to do given the time before you, it is important surround yourself with the right people. I wrote earlier this fall about the importance of having the right people on the right seats on the bus. To build on that line of thought, I believe it is time we stop retaining people who routinely mess things up. These individuals consistently take your time and focus away from the right things, operationally and strategically. Jim Collins in his book, Good to Great notes that having the right people in the right places reduces distractions and increases engagement.

On a parallel track, having the right people around you creates the conditions for right action. I have learned over the course of my life that action is commonplace, and right action is not. We as leaders want people to do the right thing at the right time with the right information for the right reasons. What I have learned is that the right people bring something unique to the right action equation, namely more allies who role model the core philosophy of the company, and more people who offer a collective commitment to always doing things better.

Finally, we need allies and mentors in our lives who will help us rediscover our internal strength. At the Spring 2016 From Vision to Action Executive Roundtable, I talked about the importance of separating role from self. Many commented to me that this was a helpful reminder. Today, I want to go further than that.

Now, I believe we need to further develop our non-work identities, because more and more people in leadership positions are becoming solely identified by their work. As Erin Reid and Lakshmi Ramarajan write in their article “Managing The High Intensity Workplace,” Harvard Business Review, June 2016, we need to develop our “civic self, an athletic self, a family-oriented self.” With this level of wholeness, we gain greater perspective and capacity to handle life’s challenges.

This week, remember the advice of  Gary Keller with Jay Papasan in his book, The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results, Bard Press, 2012: “What you build today will either empower or restrict you tomorrow.” It is time to build for a better tomorrow.

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

How do leaders know if they have the “right people on the right seats of the bus”? - part #2

Having the wrong people on the wrong seats on the bus can cause many problems. These individuals often look out the metaphorical office window and blame others for the problems within the world and the company, rather than looking into the mirror and asking the important question: “What do I need to change about myself in order to make this better?”

From my observations of working with people for over 30 years in the areas of leadership and organizational change, I have noticed that the right leaders "fit" with the company values. They personally fit with the values because they are similar to their own values. But they also fit strategically with the values. By this I mean, they can role model the values and can teach the values to others. They also know what to do and how to do it when there is a misalignment that occurs with the organization’s core values.

Right now, one major problem I am seeing is in the teaching of the values. It is not the repeating of them, and it is not about knowing them as in where they are on the wall. The critical difference, I have observed, is that the right leaders can create an environment where people want to embrace them. In essence, people feel safe enough to embrace the values, and try them “on for size.” The outcome over time is that they will own and internalize them.

The other thing I have discovered about these unique leaders is that they understand the difference between operational leadership and strategic leadership. They also are competent in both skill sets. As Joel Kurtzman wrote in his book, Common Purpose: How Great Leaders Get Organizations to Achieve The Extraordinary, Jossey-Bass 2010: “Strategic leaders are people within organizations who plot the course... Strategic leaders generally can think far into the future...The best of these people understand where the future is going and how to get there.

“The role of operational leaders is quite different from those of strategic leaders. Operational leaders make certain the trains run on time, the manufacturing processes are adequate, the logistics systems work, the technicians are well trained, and the the trucks are where they are supposed to be.... like strategic leaders, operational leaders are vital to an organization’s success.”

Finally, these exceptional leaders display a level of maturity. Maturity comes from two things, namely respect and humbleness. The right leaders have respect for people, their effort, and for what they are doing. And they have humbleness to recognize that we always have more to learn about respect. 

This week, if you have not done so already, I recommend you read the following: Lencioni, Patrick. The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize And Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues, Jossey-Bass, 2016. It will help you plan better for 2017 and help you make sure you have the right people on the right seats on the bus.

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

How do leaders know if they have the “right people on the right seats of the bus”? - part #1

I met him at a leadership seminar put on by a large and growing for-profit company. My first impression was that he was going to be the class clown in combination with a touch of arrogance. He was sure that he had leadership all figured out. During the seminar, he was seated next to the CEO, who, after one of his answers, I thought was going to give him the proverbial dope slap based on how poor his answer was to the question.

Over the years, our paths crossed and this individual realized that he had lots to learn, and that I had lots to teach him. He listened more and spoke less. His answers improved. Meanwhile, the company grew rapidly and he entered into a more senior position 

About one year after he entered the next level where he had greater responsibility and impact, the CEO contacted me for lunch. We often talked strategy and capacity over lunch, but rarely about specific people. This was the CEO’s think-out-loud time and a safe place to explore and reflect about key ideas.

At the appointed hour, we meet at the restaurant for lunch. The CEO did not even look at the menu. We went deep and fast into a "very big problem.” This particular person had become a major source of many different problems. As the CEO stated, "he is not the right person for that seat on the bus.”

For the last nine months, CEOs, EDs, COOs, EVPs, and Regional VPs have all talked with me in private about the importance of having the right people in the right seats on the bus. For them, it has become mission critical to success. This is not a one time comment and is a serious statement reflecting hours of thought and reflection.

For us here today, this phrase about the “right people on the right seats on the bus” comes from the book Good to Great. Before then, there were no seats and no bus, just people issues. Still, it is a great metaphor .

Early on there was little clarification of the concept, then the book, How The Mighty Fall, was published and Jim Collins gave us more details to the concept. As he wrote: “What makes for the “Right People” in key seats?

- the right people fit with the company’s core values.

- the right people don’t need to be tightly managed.

- the right people understand that they do not have “jobs”; they have responsibilities.

- the right people fulfill their commitments.

- the right people are passionate about the company and its work.

- the right people display “window and mirror” maturity.

This week, reflect on the above list and ask yourself the question: Do I have the right people on the right seats on the bus?  It is worth the time and energy to think about the answer to this important question.

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

Creating A Mission Driven, Core Value Led Culture

 To create a mission driven, core value led culture, leaders at all levels of the organization must prepare everyone to lead. This starts by making sure we have the “right people” in place to create the culture. They must be people who have a high degree of integrity and respect so others are willing to follow. They must be people who can lead change, and who can communicate a new vision. They also must be people who can create a sense of urgency, not panic for the changes to take place. Finally, they must be people who have the ability to maintain healthy interpersonal interactions at the team level.

Leaders also must win peoples’ hearts and minds in this process. They do this by connecting all we do back to the mission and the core values. This will require persistent instruction about what is most important, and continual reminders about how current success connects back to the mission, the core values, and the chosen strategy. 

We must also develop within people in leadership positions the capacity to correct all misalignments. This means teaching people how to recognize a misalignment and to know what options they have to correct it. As we know, leaders get what they exhibit and what they tolerate. Too many leaders right now are tolerating misalignments and sending consciously or unconsciously the wrong message about how to deal with them.

I hope this week you will make sure you have the right people with capacity on your team and that they are willing to help others co-create with you a mission driven, core values led culture.

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

Competitive Advantage - Part #1

As we enter this New Year at work, strategic choices are plentiful, and overcoming operational difficulties is mission critical. Having a clear competitive advantage is also more important than ever.

For many companies this winter, the economy’s pendulum swinging between a few good months and numerous poor months is very frustrating. At times, executives feel dammed if they do something and dammed if they do not. The result of such economic uncertainty is more meetings. The book, Death by Meeting: a Leadership Fable . . .About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business (Jossey-Bass, 2004), by Patrick Lencioni could become a best seller again in the next six weeks given how many groups are gathering to figure out the future.

As one who sat through many such meetings in December of 2010, I love listening to the language used as the different strategic choices are explored. I can guarantee you that someone is going to voice the idea during an upcoming meeting that “our people are our competitive advantage.” Then, the more educated leaders and managers in the room will add that “having the right people is our competitive advantage.” And finally, some one, with almost gospel level reverence, will state that “having the right people on the right seats on the bus” is the most critical thing to do in the first quarter of 2011. While I whole heartedly agree with this idea from Jim Collin’s research in his book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap. . . and Others Don't, HarperBusiness, 2001, few people realize that having the right people in 2011 also means keeping the right people.

In theory, we always hire the best candidate and then we do our best to orient them to their new job and the company as a whole. CEOs regularly lead classes to assure that new hires know the the company’s history, mission and core values. Alignment and perspective are critical first steps to the on-boarding process.

But at some point, the early romance of recruitment and the honeymoon of orientation stops and the actual work starts. Then, the e-mails flood their in-box, the paper work stacks up like planes circling Chicago before a winter storm, and meetings fill their calendar. Numb from hours of worthless meetings and overwhelmed by problems that have no quick or simple solution, these new and old “right people” turn to the one person who can make or break their day, namely their supervisor. And if this individual wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, has a bad hair day, misses their morning cup of coffee, and is generally irritable over factors they have no control over, e.g a pendulum swinging economy, this critical interaction can end up being a disaster just when it needs to be most helpful.

During the last 90 days, I have listened to more and more of these key or “right” people share how deeply frustrated they are with their supervisor and thus their company. They want to do good and they want to solve problems. They want to be successful and they also want the company to be successful. But when they report to and interact on a daily basis with some one who is not clear about their expectations, can not communicate and solve problems in a healthy manner, and does not role model the organization’s mission, vision or core values that were talked about during orientation, then these “right people” go back to their desk, dust off their resumes, and seek new opportunities for more productive work and life experiences.

I am convinced from what I have seen and heard in the last 90 days that more and more companies are suffering from a loss of competitive advantage due to poor supervision, management, and leadership than from economic factors over which they have no control. I am also convinced that many companies do have appropriate strategy and sound operational systems in place, but what they lack is the realization that having the right people on the right seats on the bus is only as good as having the right relationships between those people on the bus.

This week and this winter, spend more time making sure you do not loose your competitive advantage by loosing your best people. We can not afford to have them leave due to poor leadership, management or supervision. Things are hard enough as they are without adding this element into the mix.

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