Credibility Provides The Foundation For Change

Success sometimes extracts a price.  It had for a senior executive I was working with recently.

His problem—among other things—was time. Like most of us, he didn’t have enough of it.  He was the first one at the office in the morning, and the last one out in the evening. As a result, time with his young family suffered. The situation was becoming unacceptable.

In discussing the situation with him it became apparent that he was especially generous in making himself available to his staff (think: open door policy). Naturally, he was trying to do the right thing.        

The staff was appreciative and regularly sought out the executive.  His open door policy, however well-intended, had the unintended consequence of negatively impacting his personal life.  For the staff it had the unintended consequence of making them a bit too dependent on their boss.         

 I suggested (with one big caveat) the executive try limiting his availability to the staff.  In other words, create some dedicated time for himself wherein he could invest time on several longer-term initiatives that had been neglected. He’d be creating some pre-determined ‘quiet time’ when his staff knew not to interrupt him.  This would turn out to be quite a significant change as the open door policy had been something the staff had become quite accustomed to and really enjoyed.      

The tactic surrounding ‘quiet time’ was pretty straight-forward —it wasn’t rocket science and it normally works well.   To me, the most important aspect as to whether this was going to work was whether the executive had credibility with the staff? That was the big caveat.  If the executive had credibility, then I was confident the ‘quiet time’ change would work.  If he didn’t, I’d withdraw the suggestion.        

I became confident that the executive had already built the necessary credibility to pull this off.   And despite the change being somewhat unpopular, the staff supported it. 

The thing that made this work was the credibility the executive had built with the staff.  They trusted him.  They were confident that, as a professional, he had the organization’s best interests at heart.   

Whether it’s a smaller change like ‘quiet time’ or a major initiative like a productivity enhancement, they’re both highly dependent on the credibility of the leader advancing the change.  If the leader doesn’t have credibility, the odds are long against the ‘change’ effort succeeding.        

Turns out, the executive loves the new arrangement.  The staff is very accepting of it—more so than was originally anticipated.  It’s working.  Early on, it has proven to really improve the executive’s quality of life.

Lest you think the main point of this post is about the tactical suggestion I made around ‘quiet time’…it isn’t.  Tactical suggestions are easy.  The hard part is earning the credibility that, when combined with some common-sense tactic, makes the whole thing work. Hats off to this fine executive who had earned his people’s trust and had the courage of his convictions to act.  Bravo!         

Is A Moral Compass A Prerequisite To Being A Leader?

I’ve heard it argued by some pretty smart folks that people like Joseph Stalin (a revolutionary who, by conservative estimates, was responsible for the deaths of over 20,000,000 people) or “Chainsaw” Al Dunlap (the infamous ‘profit-at-any-price’ CEO) weren’t really leaders because they lacked a moral compass.  I suspect their thinking was influenced by the philosophy, “managers do things right; while leaders do the right thing.”   

Allow me to share a different point-of-view.

A leader is someone who:

***creates a new status-quo (they’re not focused on making the current status-quo more efficient)

***has followers (sufficient enough, and who are emotionally engaged enough, to create the desired momentum the leader seeks to drive change)

*** creates a step-change in people’s thinking

Simply put, a leader is someone who takes people from today’s current state to a new state.  Some go willingly, others not.  The leader is introducing change—typically a significant one.  The individual may or may not have a formal title.  Certainly more could be written on this—but, to me, this is the gist of it.

One last thing: no moral litmus test is required to take people from one state to another. Leadership is an equal opportunity aspiration for saints and scoundrels alike.

Whether the new state is the right thing (i.e. whether it’s valuable or good) is entirely a matter of interpretation. In other words, whether someone is a good leader or not is ultimately a value judgment—one that is driven by the ‘fruits’ brought forth by the individual.  Good leaders are those that are trusted.  The fact that we find an individual’s actions reprehensible—or even if we consider the individual to be amoral–doesn’t not make them a leader. They’re a leader all right—one we’re not inclined to follow.

The word ‘leader’ generally carries with it a positive connotation, largely because trust is assumed.  But trust, as I outlined in The Power of Professionalism, is personal—very personal.  Let’s face it, there are  plenty of bad leaders out there.  And the primary reason they’re bad is because people don’t trust them.

Reasonable people can differ on whether someone measures up as a good leader or not.  But to dismiss someone out-of-hand as a leader simply because we consider them unworthy (or because we disagree with them) is to ignore the very real impact they’re having. Unfortunately, this happens a lot.  It’s a form of moral superiority—one that often shoots us in the foot.

Part Two, in two weeks, will explain why.

Not Now

I recently suggested to a colleague that we begin work on a new initiative we had considered undertaking.   His two word response—‘not now’—-was emphatic.

He wasn’t initiating a power struggle.

He wasn’t dismissing the suggestion out-of-hand.

He wasn’t being belligerent.

He was exercising great judgment.  Turns out, he was right.  The timing for the new initiative wasn’t right—we already had plenty on our plate.

It is great working with people you trust.  Judgment is one leg of trust’s three-legged stool (character and competence being the other two).   See page 80 in The Power of Professionalism for an extensive discussion on this subject.

With heaping ‘to-do’ lists, with demands brought on by the incessant speed-of-change,  with ambiguity being the norm—judgement has never been so critical.  It’s great to work with people who have it.

Are Newbie MBA’s Ready To Run Our Great Commercial Enterprises?

Stanley Bing is a talented journalist that I read regularly in Fortune magazine.  He recently wrote an insightful article entitled B-School Confidential.  Bing suggests that, despite the unique characteristics within today’s generation of young people, that the next generation of MBA’s are up to the task of running our great commercial enterprises.  Check it out.

Professionalism To The Rescue–Right Out Of The Box

Two short days after participating in a teleconference on The Power of Professionalism, Amber Peebles— President of the Athena Construction Group— experienced first-hand its impact in handling a thorny issue that had generated a lot of negative energy in her organization.

The issue wasn’t their company’s most important but was typical in the way it sapped valuable time and energy.  The question was: should hourly employee David (or at least let’s call him that)  be allowed to use a company-issued lap-top while on an out-of-state family bereavement visit?  The circumstances involving the visit were nuanced, but—bottom-line—David was offering to keep up with his work while away.

Amber’s colleagues (business partners in an affiliate company whom David was supporting) said no. It was their computer (loaded with everything David would need) that was in question.

The frustrating decision prompted a number of semi-contentious meetings and a stream of frustrating phone calls before the issue finally got to Amber.  Relying on the principles in The Power of Professionalism, Amber cut to the quick.  She made it clear to her affiliate colleagues that David was a professional and should be treated as such.  Her expectations were clear.

With that, the issue had been resolved without additional drama.  What made the difference?  Amber’s re-framing! She not only helped facilitate a solution but educated at the same time.

The big idea upon which The Power of Professionalism is based is that is that the central role of professionalism has not been fully appreciated, let alone understood well, in the quest to perfect organizations.  Amber got it…big time!

Amber had raised everyone’s sights (mind-set #7) and also held to her high standards (mind-set #4). But most critically, she reinforced the importance of putting professional values as the centerpiece of her organization’s culture. Amber’s approach quickly shifted the energy from negative to positive.

Sure, this was arguably a small issue.  But the principle behind it can just as easily be applied to ‘the big stuff’ too…as we’ll see in subsequent posts.

Congratulations Amber!

Questions, Questions, Questions

Recently I was privileged to attend a celebratory event for Jim Kouzes—a colleague friend of mine.  Actually the event was for both Jim and Barry Posner—Jim’s business partner. In my world, Jim is a rock-star.  His and Barry’s book—The Leadership Challenge—has sold over two million copies in over 20 countries since its initial publication.  In the world of business publishing, that’s unheard of.

Jossey-Bass, their publisher, put on a fantastic event for Jim and Barry at an upscale venue in San Francisco to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the book.  Incidentally, the fifth edition of The Leadership Challenge comes out around August 1st.  It’s been updated, and, as always, it’s a terrific read.

Jim tells the story of how the book came to pass.  Turns out, it all started with a question.  The question was, “What did you do when you were at your personal best as a leader?”  Through diligence and hard-work Jim and Barry went about answering that question across the globe—with people young and old, leaders of all stripes representing every industry and function imaginable.  They’ve been working on that question for 25 years. Turns out, they’ve gone a long way in answering it.  Check out the book for their conclusions and insights.

My own book—The Power of Professionalism—was also spawned by a question.  The question was, “what does is really mean to be a professional ?”  Based on the terrific response we’ve received from the book, it’s entirely possible I’ll spend the next 25 years (God willing) elaborating on that question just as Jim and Barry did theirs.

Questions are powerful—more than we know.  They change perspectives, they change lives.  They’ve changed history.  Humans are the only species on the face of the earth capable of asking questions.  You’d think we’d ask more of them!

Following The Example Of Howard Schultz’s Mother–A Lesson For Leaders

Howard Schultz, the well-known head of Starbucks, grew up in public housing in Brooklyn in humble circumstances.   His is a rags-to-riches success story.

A prime reason for Schultz’s success was his mother.  Always encouraging, always upbeat…she told Schultz…“you’re going to be the first person to go to college, you’re going to be a professional, you’re going to make us all proud.”  He did!

In The Power of Professionalism we advocate how important it is for leaders to reinforce their staff’s identity of themselves as professionals.  That’s precisely what Schultz’s mother did for him—at a very young age.  She instilled in Schultz a desire to be a professional.

In Schultz’s case, his desire was born at a young age. Schultz’s mother was explicit in her exhortation. Leaders must do likewise!

Note: the quote in paragraph two comes from Charles Duhigg’s terrific new book The Power of Habit (page 148).

 

Professionalism ≠ The Absence of Conflict

Consider:

***your client is six months past due on a $68,000 invoice

***your colleague consistently fails to meet important deadlines on your important project

***your supplier has regularly provided irregular sizes of your most popular women’s dresses

You’ve really tried to show up as a professional would, but unfortunately others around you haven’t. Your client, colleague, and supplier need to get their act together.  It happens.

Being a professional doesn’t mean smoothing over important issues.  It doesn’t mean glad-handing people who should be ‘upping their game’.  Most importantly, it doesn’t mean the absence of conflict.

Professionals get results (Mind-Set #1).  That means getting the invoice paid, helping get your colleague back on track, and having your supplier dramatically improve their quality control.

Sometimes these types of situations require confronting people or handling situations that aren’t a lot of fun.  Sometimes that creates conflict.  Doing so doesn’t make you unprofessional.

For most of us, getting results usually involves having crucial conversations that involve conflict.  It comes with the territory.  It’s OK, as long as the conflict is handled professionally.  Respect is the key.  Conflict, when it’s handled respectfully, is rarely experienced as unprofessional.

Sometimes it’s tricky to maintain professional decorum when the individual is someone who hasn’t necessarily earned your respect—like the three people illustrated in the examples at the beginning of this post.

It’s easy to be respectful to someone who has earned your respect. Not so, for someone who hasn’t.  Yet, it’s still important to be respecting.  The key to creating and maintaining professional decorum is to be respecting when it’s difficult to be respectful.  To learn more about the difference between the two, see chapter eleven in The Power of Professionalism.

Bottom line:  professionalism shouldn’t be characterized (in whole or in part) by the absence of conflict; rather professionalism often gets defined by how conflict (inevitable as it is) gets handled.

The Chicken Coop

I recently had occasion to spend some time with Ken Behring.  Ken is an American success story— having transcended his humble beginnings in Wisconsin to become one of the nation’s wealthiest men.    The vast majority of Ken’s wealth was generated from real estate development, although he started out in Wisconsin (in large part) as a car dealer.

Ken’s public profile increased dramatically after he became majority owner of the Seattle Seahawks—perhaps that’s how you know of him.  Behring has since sold the team and has found a new passion—philanthropy. His philanthropic work is both impressive and inspiring.

Ken’s philanthropy has been enabled by his impressive business success. That success (no surprise) is a by-product of hard work and determination.

Ken tells of the time many years ago, while in his twenties, he needed an office for his first car dealership.  Low on resources, he got creative.  He decided to buy a farmer’s chicken coop and renovate it.  Yes, you heard right—his first office was a renovated chicken coop.

The chicken coop stunk to high heaven! Behring spent days scraping caked manure from every nook-and-cranny of the chicken coop.  It wasn’t a pretty sight.  The clean-up was a horrible job—one Ken later said he’d never do for anyone else.  Endless coats of paint, some linoleum on the floor, a few electrical fixtures and voila’ …a new office is revealed.

What drove him, Ken noted, was “the vision of what the coop would become”.   Of course, the coop was a means to an end.  By age 27 Ken had a million dollars in assets—an especially impressive feat in 1955.

Ken was all about results (mind-set #1).  When a chicken coop was called for…he got it done.

The thing that often separates us getting the result we desire are chicken coops—those things that are needful but distasteful.  What are your chicken coops?  Hiring a marketing specialist because you’ve proven you’re no good at it? Going the extra mile to make your new product release ‘just so’?  Forging a  business relationship with someone you dislike (but trust) whose talents are especially important to your company’s mission?

They’re ‘out there’—chicken coops that is!   The question is—will you built ‘em?

The Passing Of Stephen Covey

Stephen Covey passed away today. He’ll be missed.

Covey was the author of The 7 Habits of Highly-Effective People—which sold over 20 million copies. Over the years, I bought over 50 copies for my staff and my friends. Interestingly, Covey shopped the original manuscript for 7 Habits to an endless number of traditional publishers.  Initially no one was interested. Eventually the book was picked up.     

His was the first ‘personal growth’ book of its type I ever paid any attention to. His approach helped millions–me included. His books inspired my writing.  His philosophies influenced my thinking. Covey’s legacy is rich indeed.

Stephen was one of the good guys. R.I.P. Stephen.