A fascinating essay by Jonah Lehrer in the Wall Street Journal explores how nice people are likely to rise to power, and yet the very traits that got them there disappear when they get to the top.  Psychologists refer to this as the paradox of power.  Lehrer cites a compelling bunch of studies affirming this human tendency.  Apparently, SOME people who get to positions of authority by being polite, honest and compassionate become impulsive, reckless and rude once they get there. 

Here’s one example of the research on how nice people finish first, which I find utterly credible.  A University of California Berkeley psychologist gave students free pizza and a survey at the beginning of the year, and asked them to provide their first impressions of every other student in the dorm. At the end of the school year he comes back with more pizza and another survey.  Turns out that the nicest, most considerate, outgoing students were at the top of the freshman hierarchy.  Their peers conferred authority on the people they “liked.”

However, additional research shows that once SOME people gain power, they start listening less, making up their minds in spite of evidence to the contrary, growing less compassionate, more reckless, far less generous and even cheating when they know no one is looking.  In its most benign form, power tripping can lead to bad business decisions.  For example, one study found that overconfident CEOs were more likely to pursue innovation and take their companies in new technological directions, risks that often didn’t pay off.  “Unchecked, bad things can start to happen,” he said.  

I was thinking about that pizza study.  My daughter is going into her junior year in college, and her early impressions of some of kids she shared dorm space with have changed dramatically in two years.  It happened in high school.  You remember high school.  The popular crowd doesn’t “wear well,” over time.  At my daughter’s school, they were still outgoing (involved in every club and activity) but many were not nice or inclusive.  A few went REALLY BAD - mercilessly taunting kids on the lower rungs of the teenage social strata.  By 12th grade, my daughter used to refer this group, which had managed to retain social authority, as the “So-Called Popular Crowd,” with a sardonic look that would leave you in stitches.

So this isn’t news.  You know that old saying, ”Abolute power corrupts absolutely.”  I went looking for the origin to see how old it is.  It arose from John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, (1834-1902) who expressed it as an opinion in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.  Great men are almost always bad men.”  Human history is the story of good versus evil, the stories of the powerful and corrupt.  Still, it’s interesting to think about this tendency of leaders to  evolve for the worse, not the better, in terms of modern business.  What can be done - in terms of leadership development as well as business practices.  

In business we need leaders who are tough minded and  decisive.   You can’t please everyone.  You will disappoint.   You have a responsibility to the greater organization.  As Lehrer writes, ”In some cases, (these) new habits can help a leader be more decisive and single-minded, or more likely to make choices that will be profitable regardless of their popularity.” 

However since it’s human nature to cross the line - for decency, respect, courtesy, and even morality to be lost as people rise to power, how do we protect our organizations?   How can we encourage the right behaviors in leaders, in spite of the potential for things to go so wrong?  

The article suggests the remedy is transparency.  If people tend to think they’ll get caught in bad behaviors they tend not to go there.  Isolation breeds contempt.  There is, as Lehrer puts it, ”no cure for the paradox of power,” but transparency can keep people from doing bad things.

 Click here to read the entire essay.

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“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes, but no plans”

-Peter Drucker

A few years ago a client of our firm who had just wrapped up a three hour coaching session was walking out the door of our office.  “Don’t forget to e-mail it to me by Friday,” I overheard the coach say.  “Gee I don’t know when I’m going to do it, I’m so busy this week, but I will try to get it to you,” replied the client.

What do you think happened on Friday?  Three guesses and the first two don’t count.

As an eavesdropper in a conversation, it’s easy to pick up on whether people are committed.  You’ll hear phrases such as “I’ll have it by,” or or “you can expect it by x date.”  People who make commitments use verbs such as “will” and give you a time and date.  ”By Wednesday at ten,” or “on or before July 22nd.”  They say, “By Friday at noon,” instead of “by the end of the week.”    

You can develop this powerful skill - the language of commitment, and it is really vital to your success.  People who make and keep commitments rise to the top of their industries.  I think it’s because it is so rare.  We like and trust people who make a promise and deliver on it.  We promote them, follow them, and believe in them.

Those of you who have my books know my mantra: set the intention, schedule the intention, and honor the intention.  The key to the first step, set the intention, is to use the language of commitment.  Start today, with your first interaction of the morning that requires an action step. 

If you’re not sure how to be better at it, start by listening to leaders you admire.  Then practice what they do so naturally.  Use commitment language in conversation and e-mails.  Be clear about what you’ll deliver, choose the commitment action verb, and let people know when to expect it. 

The language of commitment is really valuable in project management.  For example, if you’re writing a memo or e-mail to several members of your team, instead of saying, “let’s try to wrap this up and send it out tomorrow, why not say, “Margie please complete your part by 10, Craig, your part by noon, so I can review and send it to Shellie to edit by 4 pm today.”  It leaves no doubt as to who needs to do what, when, and everyone is able to plan their day.  

A good way to evaluate whether your team is making real commitments is to watch as well as listen.  Do they readily commit verbally to deadlines and actions” or do they nod their heads and say “Sure, no problem.”?  Do they say look overwhelmed and say ”I should be able to,” or do they look you in the eye and promise, ”I’ll have it for you no later than Thursday afternoon.” 

The way to encourage the behavior is to prompt people to be specific.  If they say, “I should have it by the middle of the week,” you can ask, “So Wednesday you’ll have it to me by 2″ and make sure they say, “Yes, by 2,” or “Well I have a meeting, so I’ll have it to you by 4.”  Instead of using the fatal phrase “ASAP,” or “As soon as possible,” set a time on the calendar.  ”Could you bring this to a meeting on Friday at 9 A.M.?”  This verbal agreement makes life easier for everybody.  It reduces tension and helps you create a high functioning organization.  

There are some excellent books out there on getting things done.  These books focus on techniques for setting priorities, breaking things down into smaller tasks, and managing your calendar.  All great advice.  In my experience those techniques only work if you have first made the commitment.  And commitment starts with what you say to someone else.  Intention is expressed through language.  If we don’t practice the language of commitment, we haven’t made a commitment.  It’s too easy to fudge a “commitment” that is only in your head.

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Carl-Henric Svanberg, Chairman, British Petroleum

There are easy targets and then there are easy targets.  I almost hesitate to write about Carl-Henric Svanberg, Tony Hayward and the bunch, because the entire media world has already aimed, fired and riddled the bulleseye with bullets.  What else can be said about this hapless gang? 

On the other hand, since my thing is communication and leadership, I do want to comment because there are lessons here.  Aside from how stupid can you be.   

The Chairman of BP has been nowhere to be found for the first 60 or so days of the oil spill.  when he got a call summoning him to the White House to pony up with billions for the restitution fund, he came out of his cave and spoke just like a cave man.  I am referring of course to his reference to the victims of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill as “the small people.”

It took only minutes for the thing to go viral which meant of course they had to issue the ever-popular press release apology.  Svanberg apologized for having spoken “clumsily” to reporters.    

”What I was trying to say - that BP understands how deeply this affects the lives of people who live along the Gulf and depend on it for their livelihood - will best be conveyed not by any words but by the work we do to put things right for the families and businesses who’ve been hurt.”  Nice try, but no amount of wordsmith-ing is going to make up for a blunder the size of the Gulf.    

If it had just been this one gaffe then people might attribute it to the language barrier (Svanberg is Swedish), or a stressful slip of the tongue.  However, it was only the latest of several BP executive “gaffes” during the eight-week controversy.

Tony Hayward, BP CEO

Just when it seemed Gulf residents couldn’t get any more outraged about the massive oil spill fouling their coastline, word came Saturday that BP’s CEO was taking time off to attend a glitzy yacht race in England.  The social media networks lit up as Gulf Coast residents remarked they’d like a day off from the onslaught of oil on their coasts.  What could the BP spokesman say?  It was the first “day off” Hayward had had since the April 20th oil rig disaster and he has a keen interest in this annual race.  And, this came after a misstep not long ago when he told reporters that he just wanted his life back.  He was forced to apologize.   

So how did it happen?  Of course these guys have never lived under the withering scrutiny of worldwide press and the democracy of the 24-7 blogosphere.  They’re used to coming and going pretty much as they please and saying what they think.

At the same time they seem to be utterly unaware of the impact their words and actions have on others.  As with every corporate crisis, it’s usually not the mistake that kills you  (although this one is bad).  You become Public Enemy Number One because you don’t appear to have any sympathy - strike that - any awarness whatsoever of the plight of others.  

As we speak, some adjunct professor is drafting a case study for Harvard Business School and it’s the easiest thing he or she has ever written.  Only this one won’t be that brilliant Tylenol case that everyone has studied for twenty some years.  This will be a case study in how everything can go wrong some of the time. 

It would be easy to conclude that these guys don’t just have tin ears.  They seem to have forgotten where they came from.  I have no idea whether they grew up with privilege, but they weren’t always kings of their world.  At some point along the way when people uttered the word “CEO” or “Chairman” to them you have to believe they thought, wow, wouldn’t that be great someday?  To have the opportunity to lead a company?  What an awesome responsibility.  What a privilege.

As the author of two books with CEO in the title (Speak Like a CEO, and Motivate Like a CEO) I’m often asked to “defend” those titles.  “How many CEOs really communicate well?” People will ask.  Or, “How many CEOs do you know who really motivate other people?” 

I’ve never spoken publicly about this, but my editors at McGraw Hill were also doubters - more than a little concerned about the choice of title for book #1.  “CEOs don’t have a very good reputation,” one remarked when we were debating what to call it.  I assured them that most of my clients were very interested in getting to the C suite or were already there.  That turned out to be true, as it became a business best seller. 

One reason I love working with leaders is because the vast majority of them love their companies and understand pretty clearly what an impact their words and actions have on others. They are keenly aware that they have a responsibility to those who work for them, live in their communities, and buy their products.  Unfortunately they aren’t the ones who make headlines. 

If you are lucky enough to get to sit in the proverbial corner office, fly on the corporate jet, and play golf at the nicest country clubs,  I think it’s worth cultivating an attitude of gratitude.  If you haven’t done that lately, and you know whether you have, then pour a little humility into that cup of coffee along with the milk and Splenda.  A sense of entitlement is the underlying attitude that leads to shooting yourself in the foot.  One mistake is a gaffe.  A bunch of them that occur because you are acting like the emporer who has no clothes is foolhardy.  

Don’t get me wrong, I think if you are smart and work hard you should get what you “deserve.” The good life is a good thing.  But when you run a company, every day you must to get up and thank those hard-working lucky stars of yours and be thankful for the people who make it possible.  Cultivating that attitude will prevent you from developing the mindset that gets you into trouble when your company is in peril.

I hope – really I do – that eventually things turn around for BP because of the good people who work there and the thousands who invest in BP stock in their retirement portfolios.  Nobody is rooting for BP to fail.  We need oil, we need profitable companies to create jobs and make our economy run like the wind.  I just hope as BP is writing out the check they’re remembering that in the grand scheme of the big wide universe, we’re all pretty darned small.    

 

 Svenberg's comment on "small people" : Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Well, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
Tell me, who are you? (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
‘Cause I really wanna know (Who are you? Who, who, who, who?)
The Who, 1978

When the English rock band The Who (Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, plus bassist john Entwistel and drummer Keith Moon) recorded one of their iconic 70’s anthems, their chorus posed a haunting rhetorical question to a guy who wakes up in Soho after a drunken, brawling night.    

More than 30 years later, it’s hard to get those words out of your mind isn’t it?  Not only when you’re 23, nursing a hangover, pondering how to make something of your life; but also when you’re older and figuring out what am I doing here?  It’s important to ask because we all have a need to connect who we are with what we do.  Call that - authenticity.    

Years ago in designing our executive coaching program we developed an in-depth personal history interview for that reason.  We realized we couldn’t coach anyone until we knew who they were.  Where were you born; what did your parents do; what kind of student were you; what was college like; what did you want to be when you grew up?  What happened earlly in your career; who were the people who shaped you; why did you choose this path?  Why this industry?  This company?  This leadership role?  

What’s intriguing is that this process isn’t just a valuable coaching tool.  It helps our clients remember stories they had forgotten that reconnect the past with the present.  These stories are a bridge to authentic leadership; useful not only to you, but to the people you lead.  They also want to know.  Who are you?      

Years ago I met Dan Wolf, CEO and founder of Cape Air. Dan is a pilot with a side-splitting sense of humor and a gift for storytelling. Known as the airborne executive, he grew up fascinated by flying, hanging around airports.  In the summers between college at Wesleyan, he learned to fly around Cape Cod. He tooks his last semester of college off to become an instructor and commercial pilot.  Cape Air began as a flying school and then expanded to take on more and more routes.  Eventually they became America’s largest privately-owned and operated commuter airline. 

In an interview in CNNMoney.com a couple of years ago, he said, “There are airline CEOs who make a point to be active on the front lines — handing out nuts and meeting passengers in the airplane — but I really love the idea of still being able to fly. I make it a point to fly Saturdays in the summer because I know we’re busy. I’ll see how the operation is working, and since I’m flying on the weekend, I’m not taking time away from my desk job.”

Now there is a guy who is passionate about his company.  He loves flying.  I understand who he is.  So do his employees.  This could account for the fact that when you click on the awards list of their web site you have to keep scrolling and scrolling.  They’ve won everything from the prestigious Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in New England to the Greater Boston Chamber Small Business Award, and Cape Cod Citizen of the Year Award, and dozens of others.

I don’t have any interest whatsoever in promoting or highlighting Dan Wolf - I’ve only met the guy once.  But I think I “get” who he is.  And I would imagine that people who work for him do, too. 

When people understand who a leader and that resonates with them, they’re like to want to be part of his or her organization.  If you love the Cape, enjoy the aviation business, like the idea of working for an employee owned company run by a guy with passion and a sense of humor, then you’re quite like to find Cape Air attractive.  And once you get there, you’re likely to work hard and stay around.  

It isn’t always an easy question to answer.  But I will tell you this.  It’s worth examining.  

Who are you?

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“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

-Steven Covey

It’s that time of year - corporate strategy meetings, team off-sites, global leadership meetings, board of director meetings; they’re coming fast and furious.  If you’re like my clients you are preparing at least one presentation, probably a few.  Some of my clients go into this process like a Chinese fire drill (which I realize isn’t exactly politically correct - I looked it up - it’s a pejorative expression originating from the 1900’s referring to a bucket brigade that is accomplishing nothing) so if I’ve offended you then so be it.

Now I love all these clients but let me explain what I mean by the fire drill.  One of them emailed his 14 page draft with about 17 slides at 10 p.m. the night before our 7:30 a.m. coaching session.  Another sent five separate documents related to her presentation with detailed notes five minutes before our 1-hour coaching call.  A third guy just went MIA.  We were scheduled to talk the day before a ”test run” with his boss and I never heard from him.  Three days later he replied to my voice mail with an email apology - he was sorry but it hadn’t been ready, he thought it was okay, not sure, would like to talk… but was heading out for a long weekend… catch up next week… 

Let me take a step back and say it’s fine to do some things “just in time.” If you’re asked to bring a salad to the neighbor’s backyard barbeque Saturday night you can run to the grocery store at 5:45, whip it together at their salad bar and show up looking like a hero.  However, preparing a presentation is not like making salad.  You can’t just toss it all together the day before you speak.  And once you’re past the third grade, the dog ate my homework excuse just doesn’t fly.   

Whenever clients fail to meet a deadline or go right up against it, you can take it to the bank - they’re doing the same thing at work.  With a coach, they’re just flushing company money down the drain.  At work it can be their careers.  In their wake - they create chaos.  It doesn’t just hurt them - it hurts everybody who is waiting on them and counting on them.     

We all have pressure.  Unless you work for the Save the Endangered Caterpillar division of the Environmental Protection Agency and your hours are 9 to 3:30 and everything can wait, you have deadlines. If you’re not busy you’re dead.  For the sake of your career and your sanity it is time to stop pretending that you can do it all.  You have to know your priorities and be ruthless about how you use your time.        

The other day I was on the phone with a client and I recommended he make a list.  1 through 10.  What are you priorities?  What’s the next action step?  When can you complete it?  How will you know you’ve succeeded?  It’s easy to do this with a coach or mentor but you can also do it for yourself.    

1. priority -activitiy - deadline- measure of success

2. priority -activity - deadline - measure of success

3. priority - activity - deadline  - measure of success

etc. 

It’s simply amazing what happens when you write things down.  Writing engages your brain, the list stimulates creativity and checking things off gets you pumped.  You don’t need a ten hours of strategic naval gazing introspection to get your priorities on a piece of paper.  They’re in your head anyway, for heavens sake.  It took my client ten minutes.   

Of course, if making a list was the start and end of success then we’d all be Warren Buffet. Once you have the list, you have to take one more step.  SCHEDULE those activities ON YOUR CALENDAR.  What gets scheduled gets done.  You know this because if you switch over to your own calendar right now you’ll see a bunch of things scheduled today.  You’re an efficient person.  these will get done.  

So stop trying to rearrange your to do list.  Put the important stuff first.  Get it on your calendar.  Stop the madness, set priorities and put down your bucket. It’s spilling all over the place. 

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Some people use their blogs to communicate everything.  Like therapy.  I try not to do that.  But there’s something on my mind.  And I think it’s worth sharing. 

The other day I said something to someone and regretted it.  I didn’t swear (learned that lesson from Joe Biden). I didn’t even raise my voice (though I know how because I’m married to an Italian).  I simply made an observation about his emotional state.  In front of other people.

It was true.  It was also stupid.  He came up right after the meeting.  He didn’t even wait until people had left.  We were going to have it out right then and there, come hell or high water.      

What triggered my initial comment isn’t interesting.  But I’ll tell you just to provide context. The group was discussing a technical issue, really in the weeds.  He was repeating himself — over and over.  No one understood.  They didn’t need to.  They didn’t have the information needed to make a decision.  It wasn’t even clear they ever needed to vote on it.   So, they were getting impatient.  Very impatient.  People were shooting me looks, rolling their eyes and letting me know – end it. Each time I interrupted to suggest we take it off line or decide next time, he launched into another explanation.  Finally, I ended it.  He shot me a look.  So, I said it.    

I learned later that he was really angry about something else.  But my timing was terrible.  Wrong time, wrong place.  And what I felt bad about was how it made me feel about myself as a leader.

Fallout:

·         We dealt with it

·         I think it’s over

·         I still wish I hadn’t said it

You can’t take the moment back.  The spotlight is on you – and it reflects on how you lead.  No matter how inappropriate someone’s behavior, you have to choose your moments.  Even if what you say isn’t illegal, derogatory or demeaning, it doesn’t matter.   If you let your emotions get the best of you, you don’t feel good about it.    

Yes, we’re all human.  We will make mistakes.  And we can learn from them.   

Note to self:

·         Confront behavior

·         Choose the moment     

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I have a theory about why people say stupid things in meetings.  Having said a few stupid things in my own career, I went searching for an answer that didn’t malign overall intelligence.  So my theory is that most of the time when people say something dumb they’re doing it out of courage. They believe whatever they have to say has to be said.   

Of course it is important to encourage people to speak freely.  If the CEO has nothing but sycophants in the management ranks, he or she will never hear what’s wrong and the organization will fail.  However, there is a difference between speaking courageously and going on a mission that is doomed to fail because you lack perspective.

Stop right here - and let me explain, please. I’m not talking about the bravery of whistle blowers who speak up about illegal acts; I’m not talking about those folks on the front line that walk into the boss’s office and tell them something to save the company from doing harm to itself.  I’m talking about leaders who are on the fast track but get themselves into hot water because they aren’t thinking and speaking like leaders.  They are clinging to the view from their own perches and failing to look at it from the top down. 

If you come in guns blazing, complaining about issues that  the CEO and senior leaders already know, and worse, if you are convinced that the people at the top don’t know or care, you are doomed to take a trip around the proverbial corporate game board and you’ll be rolling the dice many times before you obtain that get out of jail card.

Of course, your top management can be insulated.  They may need a bucket of cold water dumped on the conversation from time to time.  However, one thing I’ve learned working with CEOs and senior leaders is that they sure as hell aren’t clueless.  They love their companies and most of the time they’ve already walked more than a mile in your shoes.  If you go into a meeting without appreciating that, then you’re not going to think clearly or have the impact you intend.  

Please, please, please don’t think I’m suggesting that you should be overly measured or soft pedal your important observations.  When something really needs to be said, say it.  When people need to be informed, inform them.  But before you decide to toss out a bomb you’d better be talking about the right problem, you’d better have your facts lined up and you’d better know what your senior leaders already know.        

As you know, Kamikazes were suicide attacks by Japanese military aviators against Allied naval vessels in in in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign in WW II.  Their intent was to cripple as many ships as possible by crashing a plane laden with explosives.  There’s no doubt that they believed in the mission; it was the ultimate act of courage.  Unfortunately they didn’t have the global perspective.

To demonstrate leadership you need to understand all aspects of the business.  You are expected to use critical thinking to help solve the problem, and in order to do that you need to analyze it from all business perspectives.  The fastest way to get promoted to a top job and get a seat at the big table is to analyze more than what’s going on in your own silo.  Gather information from all the people who have skin in the game, become a student of the business and people start to think of you as a leader.  

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About seven or eight years ago, I worked with the CEO of a global manufacturing firm.  We were in his office for about 2.5 hours (in theory for a media training but he didn’t want to because he was tired) so we talked mostly about his career.  I gently raise the oh-so-popular topic of a succession plan.  Did he have one?  Not really.  Who would be in line for his job?  Four or five people could be ready someday.  Did he want to discuss some high level coaching?  Yea, let’s talk about it in a months; too much going on right now.    

That night, he dropped dead of a heart attack. 

I don’t think the place has ever been the same.  The guy was the picture of health one day.  The next day, gone.

What happened next was interesting.  Two people have since sat in the corner office but they never really fit into the big chair.  You can blame them, but that would be too simple.  The circumstances were tough. 

The first guy walked into a place so stunned by the loss they simply couldn’t get their minds around a new leader with his own ideas.  His style was a mismatch; like sticking a square peg into a round hole.  

The second guy was worse; he had come up through the ranks but had been away in Europe for several years. He came back to a place that was angry and disillusioned.  The company was losing its way.  They had no confidence the second guy understood.  They would walk out of their own SLT meetings, get on email and start bad-mouthing decisions that had just been made.  There was constant jockeying for power.  It was a soap opera.  Good people left or retired.  The water cooler was grand central station.  Two and three levels down people tried in vain to figure out their own career paths.  With all the internal strife, important things like customer relationships suffered.  

I know you probably think I’m now going to lower the boom and launch into a lecture on succession planning.  It’s not necessary.  Everybody knows their company “needs” it. The question is why the process stops there.  Don’t get me wrong - there are meetings.  The HR people come in to meet with the senior leaders toting sophisticated leadership competency models, succession planning tools, charts with high potential names; and yet everybody leaves the meeting saying “Nobody’s ready to lead.”

Bad stuff happens-people die.  Good stuff happens- people decide to retire, play a little golf, take a sabbatical, start a nonprofit, spend time with the grand kids, travel, or stay home. 

Either way, the outcome is the same.  New People Must Step Up.

There are companies that do this well.  They invest early and often in promising talent.  They do more than sit around and talk about who they like (and don’t like.) They look at this as part of their legacy.  They really want to leave the place better in better hands.     

Still, it’s difficult.  Who wants to think about the end?  Many of us want to die with our boots on; some of us just can’t imagine playing golf all day.  And even if we know we’ll be ready to leave someday, most of us are so healthy and energized by our work that we feel younger than we felt 20 years ago. 

We’ll worry about it tomorrow.  Right now, we have the second quarter to deal with.  

I’m no psychiatrist, but I am an executive coach, as well as the CEO of my own small company.  So with that in mind I offer these thoughts to CEOs, Senior Leaders, HR professionals, Talent Management Specialists, Succession Planning Teams.  

When I started writing my second book, Motivate like a CEO, I had a chance to talk with a number of leaders about how they viewed their own leadership teams.  A lot of them observed their folks needed to learn to think, act, speak, and inspire others.  Hence, the book.   

I’ve thought about it a lot in the ten years I’ve been in this business and I believe more than ever that you can help people become great leaders.  Even if you bootstrapped your way to the top, you probably did have some help along the way, and if you didn’t you have to admit you might have benefitted if you had. 

Investing in people is a really good thing.  You can help good people become great.  They can to motivate, influence and inspire.  If you invest it will accelerate this development and build a strong leadership pipeline.

In our practice we always say we can tell if somebody “has it.”  It’s usually clear in the first coaching session that someone is serious, has the right stuff, and is going to take advantage of the opportunity.  They will emerge as the leaders of tomorrow.

To me, the formula is simple.  Invest a little training and development in a lot of people and see what sticks.  Pick out enough good people from that group, and invest more in them.  Pick out the best and invest a ton.  keep going. That investment will pay off.  

And everybody will sleep better at night. 

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On Sunday the Obama team fanned out to deliver their talking points - and you have to wonder whether they’d had their coffee- or even glanced at the weekend ”talking points.”  On the topic of jobs “saved or created” (which in and of itself is a ludicrous concept, impossible to prove or substantiate) they simply didn’t have their stories straight.  The Keystone cops look like a well-oiled tactical team by comparison.

By mid day Sunday, the three White House advisers had appeared on the Sunday news programs with three vastly different estimates of how many jobs could be credited to President Obama’s Recovery Act.

Valerie Jarrett: “The Recovery Act saved thousands and thousands of jobs.” (playing it safe)

Robert Gibbs: It…“saved or created 1.5 million jobs.” (the middle guy)

David Axelrod:  It has…”created more than – or saved more than 2 million jobs.” (swinging for the fences)

Read the full scripts of their comments on Politico by clicking here. 

What Went Wrong?

Not only did the three amigos fail to sync up their fairytales and agree on a manufactured number, they further eroded their credibility with the spin.  Is there an American not in a coma who isn’t aware that the “real” unemployment rate is about 15% right now?   Even Obama’s ardent base of supporters must be wondering which planet these folks are living on.  I took this statement off of the Bureau of Labor statistics web site:

“In December, both the number of unemployed persons, at 15.3 million, and the unemployment rate, at 10.0 percent, were unchanged. At the start of the re-cession in December 2007, the number of unemployed persons was 7.7 million, and the unemployment rate was 5.0 percent.”  

The Obama gang is also losing ground trying to persuade Americans that jobs are suddenly ”job one” for the administration.  Two weeks earlier, prior to the seismic shift in politics called Scott Brown, was there any question that health care was “job one.”   Confused?  Or just seeing right through the rhetoric?

Business Leaders Are Also Acting Stupidly

If you read my blog regularly you know that I don’t often comment on politics.  However, there are so many lessons for business that I simply cannot ignore what’s happening now. 

A good friend recently suggested I should actually write a book called “How Stupid Can You Be.”  The more I think about it, the more I like it.  This book could write itself. 

Who can forget the image of the CEOs of the major automakers flying in on private jets, and then putting their hands out for a taxpayer bail out?  

And, what about the four most powerful bankers telling a congressional committee that they were “victims of circumstance”  unable to anticipate the near collapse of our financial system and therefore should not be held responsible for their role in upending the global economy.  I’m not saying there isn’t plenty of blame to go around but these types of answers make your brain hurt.

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So the Obama administration has certainly not cornered the market on stupid pet tricks.  Businesses  make the these mistakes all the time.  And I believe the root of it is that some people are just arrogant enough to think people aren’t paying attention, or don’t care.

 How to Avoid this Stupidity:

• Do what’s important first
• Acknowledge contradictions
• Protect your integrity
• Give an honest analysis
• Don’t make up the facts
• Don’t be tone deaf
• Stop treating people like idiots 

As always, I welcome your thoughts…

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“Be in charge of your own destiny or some one else will.”

-Jack Welch

Your destiny is determined each day by the path you choose.  But just having a goal and putting one step in front of the other each day isn’t enough.  You also need to let other people know what you’re doing.   That means communicating up, around, sideways and down the middle.

Let me give you an example.   A story about guy who had his eyes on the prize, but forgot to let his boss in on it. 

He told the story right before I got up to speak last night in Rye Brook New York to a group of IT leaders.  He had read chapter one of Motivate Like a CEO, realized where dropped the ball, and wanted to share it with everybody.

Turns out he and his technology team had worked feverishly to bring a project in on time and on budget.  He was proud of the fact that he’d been communicating exceptionally well with his team.  They were engaged in the work; in spite of some challenges they were excited and firing on all cylinders.  Trouble was- he forgot to tell the folks upstairs.   

He was so busy making sure those cylinders were firing that he failed to tell the executive team they were taking a trip. When he finally looped them back in, it became clear they didn’t understand what he’d been up to.  “Why are you spending so much time and energy on it?” they asked.  What a shame – a great effort without the applause.  Phase II?  Who knows if it will even happen?

What Went Wrong?

This story must have a familiar ring; I hear it all the time.  Your team loves you, they work hard for you, but somehow you and they aren’t getting the credit or the recognition you deserve.  Nine times out of ten it isn’t because you work for a boss who is a jerk.  It’s because of a simple failure to communicate up.

Communicating “up” is one of the most strategic aspects of the job.  You have to do it - for yourself - for your team - for your organization.  When you don’t, precious time, resources and effort are wasted. 

Ask yourself, this - in an ever changing world, where priorities are shifting, how can you possibly know that your activities are aligned today’s goals?  The only way to know is to have a robust dialogue going with the top of the organization.  

Remember This, When Briefing Top Executives

·         When you go in to give a briefing, be prepared, and be flexible.  Things may have changed.  Week to week, organizations are juggling a host of priorities and business realities.  Sure, in an ideal world, the company sets its sights on a target and focuses like a laser beam.  But we all know how difficult that is in this ultra volatile economy. 

·         That’s why you need to keep people in the loop - formally and informally.  Pick up the phone, send an email, schedule a meeting - be available - and don’t assume they know.

·         Be sure to ask questions and listen between the lines.  You may see heads nodding while the tone is less than enthusiastic.  That’s a signal.  Pay attention.  

·         You can still champion your project or idea if you believe in it.  Just be sure you can make a rock solid case for how it aligns with the company’s priorities.

·         Come in well prepared with facts and information that helps them see it the way you see it.  Your job as a leader is to communicate not just what, but why.

It isn’t Just Up - It’s Around, Sideways, and Down the Middle

I have a client who is living a nightmare right now - after six months of hard work a major project has been scuttled.  She and her team spent months planning, preparing and discussing with the top leaders of the company, only to have the rug pulled out from under them at the 11^th hour. Chaos has ensued.

Her team is not only deflated and demoralized; planned promotions will not take place; people will be moving to other parts of the organization; some may leave the company.  Perhaps most ruinous- it was a pretty good plan- so the benefits to the organization will be lost.

The issue really wasn’t just communicating up.  It appeared the top folks were on board.  Behind the scenes, however, some powerful forces who didn’t like it prevailed.  It all went down in about three hours.  This is what I like to call unpredictably predictable.  The post-mortem will show that the failure was in building alliances around the organization, going sideways and down the middle.

Maybe it would have happened anyway.  We’ll never know.

How To Avoid This Fate

• When you’re working on a major project, I recommend that you create a communications plan. 
• This document should live side by side with the project plan, or better still, inside of it.  
• Make a list of every single individual or group who can influence, touch, derail, question, wonder, doubt or decide something related to the plan. 
• Make a plan to circle around, ask questions,
• Listen between the lines, and be sure that you address head on not only the merits of an idea but the impact on others

As always, leave a reply if you’d like to contribute to these ideas on communicating up, around, sideways and down the middle.

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