Nov 02 2010

Time Management for Leaders: Taking the Time to Smell the Roses

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A boss once told me a story about a friend. This friend had been offered a very coveted position, one that was highly sought, but for which few were considered. The day of the notification he went home to tell his wife and children but before he could say much his teenage son requested his dad accompany him to the high school awards banquet the next week. He would be graduating that year and really wanted his father to attend. Realizing this was important, the father rearranged his schedule and attended the banquet. By the end of the evening he was deeply disturbed. The next morning he went to work, turned down the promotion, and submitted his retirement. Why? The previous evening his son had won several awards, all for activities the father was barely even aware the boy had been doing. He realized, perhaps too late, that he had sacrificed something precious and unrepeatable in favor of career success and that he had chosen the wrong course.

How many leaders can see themselves in this story? Probably more than will would admit it. It’s all too common to aggressively pursue success, to gain gratification in that success, and keep striving for more, at the expense of a personal life. The problem is, work success won’t last forever, but family and personal relationships should. Yes, career success often means a more comfortable standard of living, but as the father in this story discovered, there are still things worth more than money.

This is something for leaders to watch in their subordinates as well. Help prospective leaders, and those just getting started, develop a good work-life balance. That doesn’t mean you or they shouldn’t work hard or put in the long hours that are sometimes necessary. Those things are part of the job, but must be balanced with time away spent with family, friends, or just doing things they find relaxing. Lee Iacocca, former CEO of Chrysler (1978-1993) was working hard to save the company after he took over Chrysler, but he stuck to his policy of no work from Friday night to Sunday night. Only on Sunday evening would he take out his briefcase and review the schedule for the coming week. Over the weekend, his family had priority.

The concept of work-life balance is more prevalent now than in the past, but I believe the problem still exists, thanks to technology. How many times do you actually work from home after normal hours because you have a computer, Wi-Fi, and a cell phone? In fact, I think the problem may be getting worse, not better.

It’s critical to a leader’s mental and maybe even physical health to balance work with their non-working lives. That means it’s also a leaders responsibility to make sure the people who report to them are doing the same.

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Oct 28 2010

The Secret to Employee Engagement – Leadership Development

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What are you a part of? I’ve met many people who feel they are a part of a civic group or a professional organization, or even some who feel deeply connected to a group of fans of a particular sports team. But, rarely do I find anyone who would describe themselves as part of the company that employs them. Sure, they’re a part of the workforce, or an employee of the company, but they don’t express a feeling of being a part of something worthwhile and bigger than the individual.

One of the most lasting lessons from my military service is how amazing it is when a group of people feel they are an integral part of something more important and bigger than each of them individually. From the beginning, anyone in military service is introduced to the idea that they are part of something important and that together they make up more than they ever could individually. Of course things like the various forms of initial training, uniforms, and military customs and courtesies help, but all that would be just so much decoration if that basic belief in the greater whole was not present.

I mention this to business leaders and usually get the same answer; something about how that just isn’t possible outside the military. I disagree! One of the basic pillars of military success is an understanding of mission by all involved. Though the concept of mission statements has not always been prevalent, most of the military has always had a deep sense of why they were there. That hasn’t always been the case in the corporate world.

So, how does a leader gain this sort of employee engagement? How are employees encouraged to feel more than just workers but part of something bigger? The current management buzzword is employee engagement which actually starts with leadership development. If leaders don’t have this type of feeling about the organization, then they’ll never engender it in subordinates. More than that, leaders must be able to not only understand the organization’s mission, but be able to pass that understanding on to others and help subordinates understand why that mission is important and, more importantly, what critical contributions those subordinates make to accomplish it. Interestingly, I occasionally run across executives and even business owners who don’t really have a good grasp of this most basic information.

Once everyone understands why the organization exists, what it does, and their contribution to success, there must be an atmosphere of support, meaning each person in the organization knows that their contribution is appreciated. I don’t mean plaques and other trinkets handed out for meeting goals or completing projects. I mean recognition of their skills and talents, making them feel like a valued and valuable part of the organization.

So, the secret to employees who feel they are really part of the organization and not just another worker is in leadership development. When leaders have that feeling, they will pass it on to others and soon employee engagement is reality and the whole organization excels.

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Oct 26 2010

Four Basic Steps to Team Building: An Essential Leadership Skill

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“Many hands make light work.”
John Heywood (English playwright and poet)

While Heywood was correct, he obviously didn’t have to supervise those many hands. There is much emphasis on teamwork in leadership development these days. Unfortunately, there are many leaders who don’t manage teams very well, resulting in teams that are less effective than they could be. There are several steps to team building that are essential to the success of the team. Note that these steps involve the leader more than the team. I’ll discuss why at the end.

1. Understand that the team is made up of individuals. Each one has different experiences and motivations. Some team members will have hesitancy about being on the team, while others will have their own ulterior motives. No matter how carefully members are selected, this is to be expected. Firm guidance from the leader will help deal with individual issues and prevent them from damaging the team’s efforts. The next steps go a long way towards mitigating individual issues as well.

2. Make sure the team has a clear mission and goals. This is the responsibility of the leader who forms, or charters the team and it should not be left up to the team. But, the leader must allow the team to decide how they will accomplish the mission and goals. This is critical! A team is an organization and so, needs to clearly understand why they exist and what they are supposed to do. When members understand how they will contribute to mission and goal success, and leaders stick to those missions and goals, the team will be cohesive.

3. Deal with problems early. There is always a potential for problems because team members are human. It’s best for the team leader to speak privately with the individual and discuss the problem. Most common are personality conflicts which boil over and affect the group. Human nature tends toward teamwork and most often, the conflicts can be suppressed by reminding the affected members how they contribute to the team and that the conflict is affecting the entire team. Of course this doesn’t always work and there will occasionally come a time when the leader must decide how much the problem is damaging the team. It may be necessary to replace the problem team member. If that’s the case, be very clear about the action you are taking and why.

4. Delegate, but follow-up. Leaders must know each individual’s strengths and talents, then let them do their job with minimal interference. They must ensure each member clearly understands their responsibility to the team’s mission and goals and monitor their progress. While follow-up is important for the team leader, it’s also vital for the leader who chartered the team. It’s very easy for a team to start heading in the wrong direction, and effective follow-up will catch problems early when they can be more easily remedied. Be careful though! Follow-up means staying in touch with what the team is doing not meddling in their efforts.

These four steps are the basis for leading teams. As I mentioned, these steps are for the team leader because, though the members get the job done, it’s the team leader’s responsibility to make the group into a team.

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Oct 21 2010

Leadership Development: Five Things Leaders Must Know About Themselves

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Who are you? Do you know? How would you describe yourself? I don’t mean your height and weight. Look deeper. Leaders must know as much as possible about the people for whom they are responsible, but they often forget that the first person they need to get to know is themselves. Here are five things that, as a leader, you should understand about yourself.

First you must understand your own values. If you don’t know what you basically believe, it’s quite difficult to lead effectively. Oh yes, you can be a leader. There are, unfortunately, plenty of leaders who have what are called situational values. Most of them end up failing, or at least losing their effectiveness in the end. Followers respond better to leaders with concrete values.

Second, know your personal goals in life. I would always ask young leaders about their goals and many of them couldn’t tell me any personal goals. One of the important things to know about yourself is where you’re going. Be honest. If your goal is to be a millionaire by age 30, say so. This is probably the most important part of knowing yourself after values. Knowing where you’re going is vital to getting there. Seems obvious, but many leaders aren’t really sure where they’re trying to go. Now, I’m not suggesting pursuing personal goals at the expense of the organization or your workers. Just that you need to make sure you have mapped a course for yourself.

Third, determine what is important to you. Too often leaders get so immersed in their responsibilities that they completely neglect things that are important like family. In fact, many leaders’ families fall apart because the leader put so much emphasis on the job that they neglected the family. Those leaders may have had success at work but at a very high cost. The job will end someday. The family is supposed to be forever.

Fourth, know your strengths and weaknesses. Most leaders are pretty good at determining their strengths. The problem is, many of them think they don’t have any weaknesses. The truth is that nobody is good at everything and it’s important to know what you aren’t that good at. If you didn’t know it already, let me assure you that your subordinates have a pretty good idea of your weaknesses. If they see that you don’t know, it will provide them with a source of humor, but also tends to breed their contempt.

Fifth, know where your buttons are. This is a little more difficult. I had a psychology instructor once who told us that we (as individuals) were the only ones who could make us mad. For that to work, one must reach a level that frankly I haven’t, but the underlying point is important. As a leader, it’s important to know where the buttons are which, when a boss or subordinate pushes them, cause us to feel, and perhaps display, strong emotions. I’m not suggesting a leader should be emotionless. But, you need to know what sets those emotions off so you can better control them.

Knowing these five things about yourself will make you a better leader.

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Oct 19 2010

Leadership Development: Using The Appropriate Leadership Style

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I was in my office one day when a friend who had worked for me before retiring from the military came to visit. After retiring he had decided to go back to school and to supplement his pension by entering the management training program at a fast food chain. He was a veteran with plenty of leadership experience so I knew this would be easy for him, so when I asked how it was going, I was shocked by his answer. He told me he wasn’t working there anymore, that he just couldn’t take it. He said the final straw came as he was leaving the restaurant in the evening after a long day. The restaurant manager, a young man probably 20 or 25 years his junior, began loudly berating him because of a small piece of trash in the parking lot. My friend said he stood there for a minute or two, then told the young manager where he could put his trash and quit on the spot. Apparently, such outbursts were not uncommon with this particular manager and my friend had just had enough.

Each leader develops his or her own style of leadership. Much has been written on the subject. Rensis Likert’s defined four styles of leadership – Exploitative Authoritative, Benevolent Authoritative, Consultative System, and Participative. Hersey and Blanchard gave us Situational Leadership. I recommend further study of both Likert and Hersey, Blanchard. But for the purposes of easy understanding, I define the common styles of leadership as authoritative, directive, democratic. There’s certainly a place for each of these in any organization, but good leaders must know when to apply them.

A leader in the authoritative style uses his or her authority to guide people in a particular direction. The follower has no voice and must do whatever they’re told. This sort of style can be effective in emergency situations but in most cases it will be viewed by subordinates as too heavy handed. Leaders who consistently use this style are probably somewhat insecure themselves, either because they are uncomfortable with their own knowledge or because they do not want to trust their followers.

In the directive style, the leader tells followers what to do, and sometimes how to do it. This style is effective with workers who are new to a task or who have demonstrated an unwillingness to work on their own. The directive style is not authoritarian! The directive leader is willing to take input from the followers. In fact a good leader will solicit input while understanding that the followers are not ready to be left alone without close supervision.

The democratic style is appropriate when followers are knowledgeable and have demonstrated a willingness to accomplish the task. A democratic leader will actively solicit follower input. Supervision is at a minimum and the leader involves everyone in problem solving.

There’s something interesting about these styles: they are not mutually exclusive but support each other. For instance, if a leader has been successful with a democratic style, then an emergency that might normally call for an authoritative style will be handled with a minimum of authoritative orders. That’s because the subordinates and leaders know each other and have a good relationship. The leader only has to express what needs to happen and, if necessary, constraints or restrictions and the followers do it. Believe it or not, I learned this in the military!

Similarly, the directive style may only be needed on a temporary basis. This style is usually best used with new workers who don’t yet understand the task or system. A leader who normally is uses a democratic style will have created a workplace that encourages followers to accept that style and move away from the need for such close supervision. However, people are sometimes complex. While it may sound odd, some workers will require a directive style, but be very responsive to a democratic style as well.

My friend’s manager understood none of this. He used an authoritative style with someone who didn’t need that approach, and in a situation that certainly didn’t warrant it. Apparently his leadership development was lacking.

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Oct 14 2010

Retail Leadership: A Different Approach to the Manpower Equation

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Leadership in a retail store is difficult for two reasons. First, store managers seldom receive much training in the concepts of leadership. Second, many company personnel policies make it difficult for a store manager to create an effective team. Store managers often don’t control the hours of part-time workers or the number of full-time staff. Manpower is often determined by sales and stores usually receive an allotment of hours depending on recent sales revenue modified by projected holiday or other peak periods. The result is part-time associates whose hours, and therefore paycheck, are dependent on the number of hours a store receives from headquarters. Is there a better way? I believe there is through a two-pronged approach, but this solution requires a considerable paradigm shift

First, retail companies must invest in real leadership training for store managers. Yes, this is an expense, but the return is much greater. Employees who are led by leaders who understand and practice good leadership concepts are more likely to be engaged in the success of the store and less likely to move along whenever another offer or opportunity arises. This point is critical to making the second part of this approach successful.

The second part of this solution involves a complete re-evaluation of how manpower is allotted to individual stores. Like any organization, a store requires a certain amount of manpower to run efficiently, such as managers, floor personnel, stockroom workers, and cashiers. This requirement is increased by the number of 8-hour periods the store is open. Of course some days are busier than others (which ones are somewhat dependent on the type of merchandise sold, special offers, etc) but every store has a baseline of required staff to effectively remain open and viable. I define that baseline as the number of staff required over an average week. This should be full-time staff with sufficient pay and benefits to meet basic human needs! Why? Such a cadre of full-time people provides the store manager a staff that is more likely to be engaged in making the store successful. Also, some stores have a plethora of managers and assistant managers who are essentially doing what a regular full-time, non-management staff should be doing. The store manager needs a certain number of subordinate mangers but they shouldn’t be the majority of the full-time staff. Now, the part about leadership training. Good leadership is essential to creating an effective full-time staff. The store manager must have the leadership skill to form a real team. Also, the full-time staff should have stability. By this I mean a predictable schedule and opportunity to really become good at a particular part of the store.

What about a part-time staff? A smaller part-time staff would still be necessary to cover peak periods, holidays, sale events, etc. But, part-time numbers would be smaller and more seasonal.

Now before the accountants have heart failure, let’s look at the cost involved. Leadership training for management and increased pay and benefits for more full-time staff will increase costs; for a time. But, the additional cost would be offset some by the lesser part-time expense, though that offset is not sufficient to cover the increase. Another partial offset is realized by reducing the number of managers in a store. Though full-time employees are more expensive than part-timers, they are still cheaper than managers so savings will be realized over time through attrition. The rest of the increase will be covered by two factors and will be amortized over a longer period of time. The first is simply the increased efficiency of a store staffed by people who are more likely to be engaged in its success. The other is a significant decrease in the expense of employee turnover. This expense is often overlooked in retail but can quickly add up to a very large number.

When retail store managers are trained to be leaders and have a dedicated full-time staff, the end result will be a better store producing a better margin.

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Oct 12 2010

Leadership Development: Your “Brand” as a Leader

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I recently did an interview with Dana Woods for her Blog Talk Radio show, “Professional Scope.” Dana is a skillful interviewer and it was an enjoyable hour. She asked me a question though that I really hadn’t considered before. Should a leader brand themselves in their leadership role? Of course branding is a popular topic in the marketing world, but I’d never really considered it as a leadership concern. The idea makes sense though.

A leader develops a reputation, with two groups of people; one with superiors, the other with subordinates. (A third group, peers, could be considered as well, but would be very similar to superiors) That reputation becomes your brand as a leader and while one should be aware of it, managing that brand is better. Now, before I go too far, let me be clear that I abhor leaders who primary concern is managing their reputation which usually means kissing up to the boss. So how does a smart leader develop and manage a brand with superiors?

Become known as the person who isn’t afraid to take on the hard assignments. Yes, this will probably mean more than your share of the hard assignments, but successfully accomplishing these tasks will establish you as the person who can make it happen.

Maintain unquestioned integrity. Integrity is becoming a buzzword that everyone wants to apply to themselves. Unfortunately, it’s less common in actual practice. In times gone by, when writing wasn’t as common and every third person in the organization wasn’t a lawyer, a handshake was taken by many as a contract and a spoken agreement was considered binding. Such a level of personal integrity is less common today and will certainly get attention.

Know and understand your subordinates and your area of responsibility. Your boss will appreciate your knowledge of what your people can and can’t do.

That brings us to the second group; your subordinates. Is it important to be concerned about your reputation, or brand, among this group? Yes! This group is the one which has the greatest impact on your success. Interestingly, your brand identity with them is very similar to the first group.

Integrity is also important for this group. One of the quickest ways to fail as a leader is to develop mistrust among your subordinates. If they can’t trust you as a leader, they won’t be loyal to you.

Get out of the office and get to know your people. Depending on the size and scope of the organization you lead, you may not be able to develop expertise in all areas of your responsibility. That’s okay, but at least learn the language and get familiar with how the work is done. Doing this will help your brand with both groups as your boss will see that you’re willing to learn, and your subordinates will see that you’re interested in what they are doing and that you think it’s important enough to make the effort to learn.

While you’re out there learning about what your people do, learn about them too. Again, the size of the organization will dictate just how much you can know about the people in it, but at least strive to know some basics like what they do, what their experience is, and any problems or areas of serious discontent that might affect their ability to do the job.

These steps will help you begin to establish a brand for yourself as a leader. Just remember, as you work to establish that brand, it isn’t about you. The people you’re responsible for and the job they do for the organization is what’s important. Your brand should define how you support those people to accomplish that job.

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Oct 07 2010

Six Questions For Leaders To Ask When Things Go Right

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The manager had just finished reporting to the leadership team on how his team had successfully completed a project, exceeding all expectations. He was justifiably proud and so he was seemed confused when I looked him in the eye, pointed my finger at him and, in what I hoped was a slightly menacing way asked, “How did this happen?” Everyone on the leadership team was a little surprised at that, so I explained. As leaders, we are usually pretty quick to demand answers when things go wrong. We want to dissect failure, figure out what went wrong and how to fix it, and unfortunately, sometimes place blame. It’s healthy to do this. Not to place blame, but to analyze what happened and develop plans to fix the problem and prevent recurrence.

Why don’t we do this when things go right? Usually, success brings congratulations, a pat on the back, then a return to business as usual. But, that misses a huge opportunity! By asking “How did this happen?” I forced our team to examine what had led to success. There are 6 specific things to consider.

1. What did the leadership do differently in this case? It’s important to analyze what the leadership did that led to success instead of failure. This also gives you a chance to toot the project leader’s horn a little.

2. Were there external factors that helped with success? We like to think we can do it all, but often there are outside influences that provide valuable help. Capture that information so you can use it again.

3. What worked to impede progress and success? A project is very rarely completely smoothly from beginning to end. There are always problems. It helps to identity them, but more importantly, it is important for everyone to see how leadership handled these problems.

4. Was there a specific individual or group which stood out as a key to success? Too often a leader will bask in the glow of success without identifying to the leadership team subordinates who were instrumental in the project’s success. The subject of rewarding great work is beyond the scope of this article, but at the very least, the leader’s boss should know who those critical people are and the individuals themselves should know that the boss’s boss also knows their names.

5. What would the leadership do differently next time? No recriminations here, just an honest look at what might be done better next time. Even success can usually be improved. This is not a repeat of the first question. In that case you evaluate what you did differently to make the project a success. In this question, you want to flesh out lessons learned that will help make the next project even more successful.

6. Was there a point in the project when it looked liked failure was imminent? If so, what did the leadership do to overcome the crisis?

So, next time one of your leaders successfully completes a project or handles a problem, ask them “how did that happen?”

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Oct 05 2010

Happy Strategic Planning Month Leaders!

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There seems to be a month, week, or day for just about everything. I don’t know who determined this, but October is International Strategic Planning Month. I also don’t know why the world needs a strategic planning month but since we have one, I’ll certainly take advantage of it.

Judging by the number of search queries I receive, I know there are a lot of leaders out there who have many questions on the subject so here are a few questions to ask about your strategic plans.

1. Do you need to review or re-write your strategic plan? Here’s a way to find the answer to that question. Ask people in your organization, at all levels, if they can tell you why the organization exists, what it does and how. If they have answers to these questions, ask them how they contribute to making that happen.

2. Do you have goals that are being actively worked? Will accomplishment of those goals move the organization forward or just help it maintain its current position? If the majority of those goals are not far-reaching, it’s time to take another look.

3. Speaking of goals, do senior leaders in the organization know the progress toward reaching those goals? If not, then it’s time to take a serious look because without senior leader attention and follow-up the organization is probably doing exactly nothing towards accomplishing those goals.

4. Did your last strategic planning session last several weeks or even several months? If members of your planning team were ready to poke themselves in the eye just to be excused from the meeting, then you probably need to take another look at the plan. A strategic plan that took more than a week to develop is suspect.

5. Was your last review of the plan a year or more in the past? Goals and objectives should be reviewed at least monthly, but the entire strategic plan should normally be reviewed annually. There are exceptions but this is a good general rule.

6. Is the organization recovering from a serious crisis that has derailed its normal operations? If so, a good strategic plan is just the ticket to get things moving again. But, once recovery is well along, it’s a good idea to review the whole plan as some of its basic tenets may have changed.

7. Are leaders in the organization running about with seemingly no direction? If so, your plan, if one exists at all, is not really being implemented. Before you get out the old plan, dust it off, and direct compliance, put together the leadership team and do a thorough plan review. Then communicate the new plan so everyone knows what it is and their part in making it work.

You may notice that a lot of these questions deal with the people in the organization. Strategic planning accomplishes several things but most importantly it gives everyone a common direction to go and when properly implemented helps them understand their value to the organization. Strategic planning is a leadership responsibility!

Happy Strategic Planning Month!

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Sep 30 2010

Retail Leadership – Are Your Associates Really Engaged?

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As a retail manager, you probably secretly believe your rank and file associates are never going think of themselves as part of a real team. They’ll never be engaged. While it’s true not every associate will be an enthusiastic contributor, leaders should be concerned if most of them aren’t engaged in the success of the store. A store manager doesn’t control pay and benefits, but there are things within the manager’s control that can make a big difference. These 7 steps will go a long way towards creating a more effective team.

1. Make sure every associate (and manager for that matter) understands why they are there. Don’t resort to the overused phrase about “great customer service!” Of course you provide great customer service; but, your real job is to sell stuff and bring in money. Customer service is a big part of how you do that, but selling stuff is why the store exists and how you get paid.

2. Listen to your associates! They have thoughts and ideas that can be very beneficial. Good leaders understand they don’t have all the answers and their subordinates can have very valuable input. Not every idea is going to be a good one, but if you don’t give each one a fair hearing, you’ll miss the pearl. There’s an added benefit too. One of the most important motivators in the workplace is a feeling that the worker is a valued part of the team.

3. Treat associates as adults and listen to what they say. That may sound silly, but I know a store manager who once said he considered himself a baby sitter! What kind of a message is that sending to the employees?

4. Recognize that part-time associates are just as important as full-time associates. While they don’t get paid as much or receive the same benefits, they are critical to the company’s success. There should be no difference in the way a manager treats part-time and full-time employees.

5. Be careful with the schedule. For some reason many store managers seem to think that it’s okay for an associate to go home at 10:00 at night, then magically reappear at 7:00 the next morning, wide awake and ready to smile at the customer. Is it really necessary, or just convenient for you?

6. Plan ahead. Why is it so difficult to schedule more than a week in advance? While some store managers do this, many don’t. As leaders we sometimes become completely consumed by our jobs and there is even some twisted level of pride in working ourselves until we drop. But, that isn’t healthy for associates any more than it is for managers. Remember, your associates have lives outside the store and they might like to plan ahead. Wouldn’t it be better if the schedule didn’t change that often? Yes, people get sick and have other emergencies and events that make them unavailable, but a more stable schedule makes those issues easier to deal with.

7. Don’t default to “the customer is always right.” Blasphemy you say! Consider this. An unhappy customer may or may not return to your store. If they don’t, you lose sales and some income. That’s bad, but there are other customers and chances are, the loss of one customer is not that significant. On the other hand, losing a good associate is very costly and they are hard to replace. Also, when the associates know their manager will support them, they’ll work harder to support that manager, which means more sales and happier customers.

Start with step one tomorrow and then keep going through the entire list. You’ll experience a definite improvement in your associate’s engagement.

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