Situational Professionalism—Are You Guilty Of It?

Situational Leadership (thank you Ken Blanchard) has helped many good leaders become even better. But Situational Professionalism, unfortunately, isn’t something that helps anyone get better. When it comes to becoming a better professional, inconsistent behavior isn’t part of the formula.

Consider:

*** John is very professional in staff meetings when the boss is present, but when the boss is absent the gloves come off.

*** Maria has provided much-needed feedback to one colleague (someone she likes) but won’t afford another colleague (someone she dislikes) the same courtesy.

*** Phil publically jumps on the bandwagon in supporting a popular proposal he has serious reservations about while in private badmouthing both the proposal’s sponsor and the proposal itself.

When you think of those professionals you most admire, you’ll be hard pressed to identify one whose behavior was inconsistent in the ways memorialized above. Inconsistent behavior is problematic whenever or wherever it’s exhibited. It reflects poorly on the individual and it erodes trust.

Being professional in one realm while being less-than-professional in another is akin to situational professionalism. Perhaps it’s obvious but the latter erodes the former. Professionalism isn’t situational, it requires our best-self in all situations, not just when we want it to.

Mind-Sets Trump Skill-Sets–Exhibit ‘A’–Gabby The Bartender

As people get a deeper understanding (and appreciation) of the mind-sets, they inevitably start to see things differently.  Robert Cloutier of San Diego is one such person.  Here’s a note Robert sent to me last week and encouraged me to share:

“I ran into a busy brewery last night (Valentine’s Day) at 9:45 PM and sat at the bar for roughly thirty minutes.  I had one cocktail while I waited for a to-go order.  Luckily, the Lakers versus Clippers game was on the television in front of me, so I got to watch the continued changing of the guard in Los Angeles regarding which basketball team is relevant (look no further than Dwight Howard’s lack of professionalism when searching for reasons for the Lakers broken culture).”

“Once I sat down, the bartender immediately greeted me.  She asked my name and introduced herself as Gabby.  Then, she pointed to the other two bartenders at the other end of the bar and told me their names as well.”

“As I was looking over the menu Gabby offered suggestions and was especially helpful.  I told her I was ready to order, but I actually wasn’t.  As I sat there and stalled, she smiled and told me that she was there all night and that there was no rush.  After I finally decided, she advised me on how to take advantage of the happy hour prices and save a little money.”

“I finally ordered and set my sights back on the basketball game.  However, I couldn’t help but notice that Gabby treated everyone in the same polite manner.  I noticed that Gabby used other patron names in addressing them and treated her coworkers warmly.  In the busy bar atmosphere, there were a few times when she reluctantly had to shout to the other end of the bar for communication.  Even then, she started every sentence with ‘please’ and ended every sentence with a ‘thank you’.”

“She checked on me a few times and each time addressed me by my name.    Once my food came, Gabby came out from behind the bar and put my items in the to-go bag, rather than just handing them to me.  Before she put my food in the bag, she opened up each of the boxes to show me what I had ordered.”

“To say it was busy that night would be a large understatement.  It is one of the few open places on Valentine’s Day in a city of close to 200,000 people—it was a mob scene.  As I watched Gabby move with efficiency and grace, I thought, “there is a total professional.”  As far as mindsets, I saw all of them and was reminded again of what continues to build momentum in my brain—when the mindsets are present, ANY technical competence can be learned.  In other words, I will take Gabby with her professional mindsets and train her from scratch in regards to technical competence over some other person with high technical competence without the professional mindsets.  I was truly inspired watching Gabby behind the bar.  She’s one of the few that really ‘get it’.”

Gabby was obviously amazing…to the degree that Robert (a super busy guy) felt compelled to write about it. The story is especially rich.  What do you take from it?

Monday’s Pleasant Surprise

Trust Across America is an organization dedicated to improving the level of trust within the business sector.  Founder Barbara Kimmel has done a tremendous job growing the influence of the organization.

Earlier today Trust Across America published their top thought leaders for 2013. I’m pleased (and humbled) to have been included. The list has many notable (and impressive) people.

I can only hope this honor helps advance the important work we’re doing here at Wiersma and Associates.

.

 

 

The Election–It’s About Confidence Stupid

In two weeks the US goes to the polls to elect (among other things) the president. It’s a tight race. The election is dominated by concerns over the lackluster economy—which has clearly become the defining issue of the election.  Simply put, all other issues in this election are largely peripheral.  This election is about regaining confidence in the economy.

Founder James Madison wisely observed that “the circulation of confidence is better than the circulation of money.” To me the successful candidate will be the one who people have confidence in—confidence to turn the economy around.  It’s true that confidence can sometimes be misplaced.  Let’s hope that’s not the case in two weeks.

More About ‘The Code’

When people use code they’re being less than forthright.  Consider:

The potential recruit who says, “I’m interested” when asked about their impressions of the position they’re interviewing for.  ‘Interested’ in this instance is code for, “it’s true I’d consider your position, but I’m really considering a number of options.” To assume the recruit is actually committed would be a mistake.

The senior officer who says, “here at ACME we’re always looking out for your success” when speaking with a new analyst in her department.  It’s a much weaker thing to say that the company (e.g. ACME) is looking out for the analyst’s success than for the senior officer to personally commit to the analyst’s success.  In this instance, ‘we’re’ is code for the senior officer to hide behind ACME (an oft-time nebulous, faceless organization) and avoid making a personal commitment to the analyst.

The hiring manager who says “we’re looking for fresh perspectives” to the 55 year old job applicant.    That’s code for “we’re looking for younger workers”.  The applicant shouldn’t be mislead, there is a snow ball’s chance in a very hot place they’ll be hired.

Authenticity is the anti-thesis to code.  Most organizations would be well served by increasing authenticity and decreasing code….largely because code is less-than-forthright, it can mislead, it breeds cynicism…and, most importantly, it undermines trust.  Until authenticity increases, know the code.

Professionalize Teaching ?—A Duke University Senior Speaks Out

‘We must become more professional’ is a mantra I regularly hear amongst both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. For instance, many have argued that management should have the same types of standardized professional requirements that law does.  Whether you agree or not isn’t the point.  Rather, it’s symptomatic of some level of dissatisfaction of the profession itself.

Recently in the Contra Costa Times another such article “Educating Under Oath”, surfaced. It’s about teachers–written by Matthew Straus, a Duke University senior. Check it out.  And notice the thinking that is foundational to the oath Straus proposes teachers take.  To me, it’s clear that Straus holds several of the mind-sets we write about in The Power of Professionalism.  Am I surprised?  Not at all!

The Fallacy of ‘Walt Just Being Walt’

You may have heard that authenticity is really important.  Obviously, it is—especially in leaders.  It’s important for each of us to ‘show up’ authentically—in a way that engenders confidence in others that ‘what they see is what they’ll get’.  The implication is…. just be yourself.  Of course, being yourself doesn’t ensure you produce the right results the right way.

Absent professionalism, authenticity can be a cruel imitation of the real thing.  Walt—a COO in a $900 million for-profit entity—is ‘just being himself’….just ask his staff.  But he undermines the health of the organization by:

***insisting that all management jobs that are being filled in ‘Operations’ through competitive interview be reviewed through his office. 

(Consequence:  effectively this proved to be a way for the COO to personally control virtually all management hires.  He installs people who weren’t the best qualified and weren’t generally deserving of the opportunity.  He creates a legion of ‘yes men’.   Walt was just being Walt—always acting like the smartest guy in the room. This is what he believed himself to be—consistently so.  Naturally, the COO’s direct reports disengage their thinking and throttle their enthusiasm—just waiting for direction from ‘on high’.  The approach is a disaster.)

***habitually running executive level meetings with no agenda.

(Consequence: absent structure, the meetings turn into bull sessions.  Nothing of substance gets done plus attendees become jaded. Walt insists he’s allergic to too much formal structure. He’s definitely ‘being himself’, but the approach proves ineffective.)

***consistently putting a disproportionate amount of his energies into (what others view as) cozy political connections that have a high probability of advancing the COO’s career.     

(Consequence:  The political gamesmanship turns off a lot of people. In the eyes of many, the COO has abandoned his professionalism for careerism.

The COO ultimately proves himself ineffective.  Many see him as a phony. Many important aspects of the operation suffer—results especially.

Be yourself?  Sure.  But be your best self….as a professional would.     

 

It Gets Worse–Legalized Insider Trading Revealed In 60 Minutes Story

After writing The Power of Professionalism there are (literally) hundreds of illustrative stories about distrust that I could share with readers if I chose to.  Almost always I chose not to share them—largely because people have become desensitized.  There’s too many and, cumulatively, they become too painful. People know there’s a big problem with distrust–there’s no sense piling on.

That said, a recent story is worthy of sharing–because it exposes (essentially ) legalized political insider trading in Washington. We have 60 Minutes story– Congress Trading Stock Insider Information to thank.

If you have had any doubts about why Congress is the second least trusted entity behind Wall Street, this vignette should convince you why the public holds Congress in such contempt.  This story, once again, demonstrates why we need professionals who happen to be politicians–not professional politicians!

Debra…Big-Time Difference-Maker

Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown of Slidell, Louisiana shares this instructive experience.

“Years ago while in a previous position, I traveled a lot and would leave my home around 6:00 AM.  There was a fast food restaurant between my home and the exit on the interstate where I would stop for a cup of coffee.  It wasn’t a big sale—less than a dollar.  This fast food restaurant was—believe it or not—special.”

“Normally, I would stop at the microphone at the menu sign and wait for the expected raspy, non-engaged voice asking me if I wanted the latest value meal.  That wasn’t the case at this place. Instead I heard the most pleasant voice say, “Good morning, this is Debra, how may I help you?” “

“Seriously?  Someone at a fast food restaurant who actually wanted to help me…and wasn’t interested in pushing their latest meal deal?   I was impressed.  Yet, it got even better.”

“As I sat at the window waiting for my cup of coffee, Debra appeared.  She had my coffee.  I gave her a $5.00 bill.  Her attention to detail and professionalism blew me away.  She placed her hand beneath my outstretched hand, placed the bills in the palm of my hand first and then added the changed on top of the bills which allowed me to close my hand without the possibility of dropping the change all over the parking lot.  Now I was even more impressed.”

“Then she handed me the cup of coffee and asked if I wanted cream and sugar for the coffee.”

“”Thank you for stopping by, have a very nice day.”  I told her thank you and to also have a nice day and left for my trip and left her a tip.  Tipping a fast food employee is unheard of, but I was thrilled to do it….as that brief exchange with Debra set an amazing tone for the rest of my day.”

“Every time I left on a trip I made a point to stop at THAT restaurant.  Every time the experience with Debra was the same.  It got to the point I stopped not for the coffee but rather to hear Debra’s voice and her good wishes.  I wrote a note to management and complimented them AND Debra on how she conducted herself and how professional she was.”

“Now for the rest of the story.  This experience was over 20 years ago–and I still tell that story to this day. It was about two weeks after I wrote the thank you note that I stopped by as usual for coffee.    When I pulled up to the window, this time was different.  Debra took my hand but not to put change in it.  She said, “I know it was you who wrote the note to my manager.  Because of the note, I got a raise and wanted to thank you.”

As Jim noted, he ended up going to that restaurant because of Debra.  She made the kind of difference that resulted in drawing people back to her (and the restaurant) over and over.  Imagine how many others like Jim she influenced.

Whether Debra ‘showed up’ as a professional because of her upbringing or because of the restaurant’s management—we’ll never know.  We do know that Debra’s capabilities were recognized by management and she was ultimately promoted.  Unfortunately for Jim the promotion meant that she no longer worked the window.  The service, Jim later observed, was never the same.

Debra was exceptional.  She stood out. She showed up as a professional would—yes, even at a fast food joint.  So impressed, Jim wrote a thank you note.  Nobody does that.

Every organization seeking competitive advantage should be scouring the countryside high and low, day and night for more Debra’s.  Now would be a good time to start.