A reader, Sara, recently wrote, “I have a boss who is a ‘fear manager.’ He has been told to read your book. If this manager stays true to form, he’ll manipulate the material of the book to show how he is the organization’s savior among incompetents. I have my doubts he is capable of recognizing himself as an ‘elephant in the office.’ Quite a conundrum, huh?”

First, congratulations to Sara: By seeking ways to effectively influence her boss, she elevates her leadership. Instead of complaining, Sara is seeking solutions.

The task in front of Sara isn’t easy. There are no “magic-leadership-wands.” But there are steps Sara can take to “lead upwards”:

Elephants are Behaviors, not People

It is vital that Sara doesn’t see her boss as the elephant; it is his behavior that is destructive. This paradigm shift in viewpoint creates new possibilities because it is easier to change behaviors than people.

If Sara’s boss, upon reading Stomp the Elephant in the Office perceives he’s being fixed, he’ll become defensive. The “fix-that-person” approach always backfires. Conversely, when the boss knows Sara is fighting for him, trust begins to build.

Focus is a key! Many people have harmful conversations behind their boss’s back. But bosses are human; their intuition informs them of these conversations. Sara can dramatically affect her culture by focusing on – and providing feedback – in those areas where the supervisor is delivering constructive behaviors. This isn’t about “being positive.” Because the boss, like everyone else,  goes toward his focus, this is about moving behaviors forward.

Developing a Relationship of Trust

As a relationship of trust develops with her boss, Sara can enter into conversations where she can address behaviors collectively. “It’s important that we function with greater integrity…” And, “Where can we all improve in this area?”

Dad was right when he said, “You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution.” We applaud Sara and others who demonstrate the courage to proactively “lead upwards.”

Where will you lead – where will you stomp elephants – today?

Do you feel the Big Mo – Momentum – in your business and life right now? If you don’t, the leaders we’ve been speaking with would say you should be.

The response to our latest webinar has been invigorating. We received emails from all over – five continents to be exact – with everyone sharing how they are immediately shaking off fear and moving forward with momentum. (The free webinar is available at www.pathwaystoleadership.com)

It is crazy how many office elephants are roaming today: Many companies are actually creating fear – and anger, anxiety, and apathy – just by how they are managing today’s “bad news.”

It doesn’t have to be that way.

Dan, a top leader within Kellogg’s, shares, “The idea of being ‘on a roll’ is a simple concept, but today it sunk in deeper. Last night I left work feeling really good about how things were going with our team.  When I woke up this morning, that feeling was still there.

“While getting ready to go to work I was pondering, ‘Why do I feel so good about things?’  Then a single word hit me: momentum.  Instead of standing still (or moving backward), our team is moving toward clearly defined objectives. 

“I do a little cycling and I know that if you stand still with your feet locked in the pedals you fall down. With just a little bit of effort you can get a bike on a roll.  Once you get a bike rolling you gain momentum. And the great thing about momentum is that when you approach a hill (a difficulty in bicycling) your momentum can take you right over small hills and half-way up the big ones.”

Momentum is a priceless resource – and it can be generated on demand. Today, when someone hits the brakes by focusing on problems - what’s not working, or who is to blame (all of which kills momentum) - you can respond with leadership: Ask a question that leads focus, energy, people – and results – forward.

Where will you lead – where will you stomp elephants – today?

In these challenging economic times we often hear about organizations declaring a War on Waste.  With great acclaim, endless expenses are questioned and cut.   Printing costs, travel, advertising, inventory and shipping are just a few that are under the microscope.     It is good to review these expenses and with most organizations, legitimate and substantial savings can be realized.

But there is a huge elephant in the office and almost everyone knows it.   The greatest waste, the tragic waste that is destroying your competitive advantage, driving your best people out the door, and collapsing your bottom line isn’t materials, inventory and fuel costs.   There is a wasted resource that is vastly more expensive…. It is the waste of your “people potential.” 

When 72% of the workforce is disengaged, (Gallup 08) it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to calculate the enormous cost in lost ideas, lost discretionary effort, lost time in unproductive meetings, and the inability to move results forward.

But there’s some very good news.  With few exceptions, every single one of those 72%ers wants to be great.   They want to leverage their potential as much as you want them to.   In fact, at one time, they were not one of your wasted resources.   They wanted to be part of a great team and make a difference every day, just like you and me.  

Alas, we know we’re preaching to the choir here.  Nearly everyone reading this blog knows that Culture - how people work and lead together -  determines whether those 72%ers stay engaged or not.  

Culture, the mother of all strategies, determines whether you truly win the war on waste.

When you fully engage your enormous “people potential” resource, what is possible?  Our partners who are consistently operating at this level, report that they are able to double their output and results.   Printing, shipping and travel waste pale compared to people potential waste!

Here are three ideas to continue to build your culture and people, and engage your 72%ers.

·         Ask your team members what kind of environment and culture they would like to work in that would allow them to enjoy their work more and become even more productive.

·         Ask your team members how you can do a better job leading and support them.

·         Then ask them why moving in this direction is so important to them.

How will you rocket by your competition today by winning the “real” war on waste?

This is a true story, but the names have been changed.  I went hiking with my friend Dale this morning.  He is a mid level manager in a medium sized firm.  He mentioned that their long term Chief Operations Officer had recently left the organization.  After a few more steps up the trail, I asked him what difference that had made.  He considered his answer carefully and with a little grin said, “Productivity has gone up in every department by 20% or more.”

There is a huge elephant that is limiting productivity in many organizations, and it’s called Frank… or Jim… or Mary… or Cynthia… or whoever it is in your organization that fits the description of Frank below.

I asked Dale what happened after Frank left the organization.  Again, he considered his answer carefully.  “It wasn’t what happened after Frank left.  It was mostly what didn’t happen while he was there.”  

We stopped hiking and I pulled out my 3×5 card and pen.  

“With Frank, we lost interest.  We just did what we had to do to get our paychecks.” 

“But why?”

Dale frowned and proceeded slowly.  “I got to the point where I didn’t really care anymore.   I was never good enough for him… and it always felt like he was either scolding me or telling me what to do.  In fact, now that I think about it, I didn’t really feel like I was a human being.  I just felt like I was a cog in a machine that he was using to get HIS job done.”

“So who has taken his place?”

“Well that’s the funny thing.  We don’t have a permanent replacement yet, but I guess we have to credit Jean.   The CEO brought her out of retirement until we hire a new COO.”   Dale started to shake his head.   “No, it’s more than Jean.  It’s really us. It’s like we’re all new again, like we all have a new job.  We no longer have Frank breathing down our back and we’re free to do a good job.”

“But surely you still need a boss, someone to direct you.”

“Well that’s just it.  Jean doesn’t direct us.   She sort of lets us direct ourselves.”  

“Dale, I’d really appreciate it if you’d be specific here.  This might be helpful for us to share with other leaders.”

“Ok. You know, the first thing she did really surprised me.  She didn’t seem to need to impress us.  She didn’t pretend that she knew how to do our jobs.   In fact, the first thing she did was ask each of us to tell her about our departments and what is working well.”  A big smile spread across Dale’s face.   “And then she listened – I mean really listened.   Then later she asked us for our vision and how we wanted to upgrade our departments and how we planned on getting that done.”   

Dale started to ascend the trail, but then he stopped.  “Here’s the thing.  Jean treated me like I was remarkable, and I don’t know what it is, but when she treats me that way, I’m going to be that way.”

It’s true: The people around you are just like you and me.  They simply want to contribute and do a good job.  They truly want to be great. 

What will  you do today to allow and help the people around you be great?  Are there any Frank’s that you need to re-assign or re-train today?