Uh-Oh: Is It Too Late To Be Good?

Kids everywhere are chewing their fingernails and looking over their shoulders. If it’s true, they wonder, that Santa is “making a list and checking it twice, going to find out who’s naughty or nice,” then – given all my sins of the past year – do I have any chance of getting that present I wish for?

It’s the same for adults, of course. Have you noticed those around you who are limping to 2009’s finish line? They’ve bagged the year. They’ve given up on others – and themselves. “I’m done,” is spoken everywhere.

And why not give up on 2009? After all, it’s too difficult too care – to be good – anymore, isn’t it? With the shape the economy is in, with “we-have-to-do-more-with-less” bosses everywhere, and a body that’s rounder and softer than 12 months ago, there probably won’t be the wished-for present under the tree for you this year, will there.

It’s Not Too Late!

Don’t believe the illusion for a second. It’s not too late. Santa doesn’t care about what you did and didn’t do in the past – he cares about right now. What happens if Santa is as forward-focused as you want to be? Because he’s in your corner, all he cares about is you picking yourself up, dusting off the crumbs of 2009, and preparing for the opportunities of tomorrow.

Sound like rhetoric to you? Perhaps, but we should remind ourselves that momentum is an invaluable resource. Therefore, what happens if your success in 2010 depends on your finish to 2009?

Besides, the only difference between 2009 and 2010 is the tick of a clock – the same sort of tick that’s been ticking, well, your entire life.

It’s not too late to be good. In fact, now’s the perfect time.

The Most Important Contribution You Can Make to Your Team

Vannoy and Ross

How can you best contribute to your team’s success? The answer may surprise you.

Our last leadership post received an abundance of attention – and created some confusion. “Shame on you for putting forth an example that voting against ourselves (with the implication we’re voting for others) guarantees a loss,” shared one reader. We love this reader’s passion to do whatever it takes to ensure her team wins!

So let’s clarify: “Voting for yourself” in this context does not mean voting against someone else. It is not designed to imply that you must win…so someone else can lose. And unquestionably, as we review the metaphor imbedded in the last post, we can see how such assumptions can be made. So yes, shame on us for a poor metaphor.

Let’s kick out the metaphor – and leverage the idea.

It’s shocking – staggering, really – how many people want, wish and hope their team will perform better, yet they severely limit their own contributions to others and the team. How does this happen? Ask yourself,

• Am I my own worst critic? Does my self-criticism build my confidence – or destroy it?On a regular basis, am I showing up “off a roll” just hoping to slog through another day – or am I doing my best…so I can be my best…and give my best to others?
• Am I retelling old stories about who’s a jerk and what’s making my life difficult, thus sabotaging any chances of a productive mindset – or am I using every day to create a new script, a new, more productive story?

How can you give anything to someone else if you can’t hold it yourself? Those who lack the awareness demonstrated in the questions above move through their day “voting against themselves.” (Rats! There we go again with the metaphor!) As a result, these people have little to give others and their organization.

How can you best contribute to your team’s success? Take regular steps to be the best you. That’s what your teammates are asking for.

Are You Telling the Truth? Take the BBQ Test

“Oh, I can’t wait for the weekend.”

“Why?”

“Because…so I can let my hair down and be me. I can’t be ‘on’ all the time.”

(Pause.) “What are you ‘on’ while you’re at work?”

“I’m not on anything. I just mean that I can be the real me when I’m at home.”

“Why can’t you be the real you while you’re at work?”

(Alarm.) “Are you kidding? I have to be on my toes and at my best while I’m at work.”

“Don’t you want to be at your best while you’re at home?”

(Gasp.) “Well of course I do. But at home I’ve got people who support me no matter who I am or what I’m doing.”

“That says a lot about you. And a lot about us.”

(Confusion.) “What do you mean?”

“I call it the BBQ test. How do people talk when they get together for a beer or a BBQ? How different are people in a social, relaxed setting – as compared to when they’re at work. If their words and attitudes are different, then you can guarantee you’ve got an elephant in the office.”

“But I’m not going to be the real me in front of my co-workers. I can’t.”

“That means you – and we – have failed the BBQ test.”

“How so?”

“Because you can’t be your authentic self at work it requires you to expend a lot of extra effort and energy – so you can be ‘on.’ This effort is a waste, because every minute you can’t be yourself, is every minute you’re not moving your life forward.”

(Pause.)” I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

“But it’s good feedback for us, too. We fail if we don’t create an environment where you can come to work and be supported for being the real you. Until we create that sort of workplace, we’ll be paying you a full wage – but only getting .50 cents on the dollar.”

Tell the Truth: Are You Bringing the Fireworks Show into the Office?

 Want to see some excitement in the office this week?

Fireworks exploded all across the U.S. this past weekend as the country celebrated its birthday. But fireworks don’t have to be a “weekend” activity! In too many offices, fireworks can be a daily occurrence. And it’s done simply by telling…the truth.

It’s a huge “elephant in the office” for many organizations: The truth is unacceptable. And the reason why is because a system – a culture – has been established that when the truth is stated it means someone is wrong. And being wrong is not cool. So when the truth is told it ignites explosions and tirades that – in this case – are not at all entertaining, but are severely destructive.

Because people are trained to “not play with fire,” truth-telling is not an exercise that is often experienced by most teams. Like a stockpile of fireworks just waiting for a match, here is a list of the most common lies being told in offices today:

• “If we work harder, we’ll succeed.” (That’s a lie! It’s HOW we’re doing our work that must evolve.)
• “My leadership behavior is not what needs to change; it’s others who need to change.” (You’re kidding, right? All significant change begins by altering the approach taken by the only person you can control: you).
• “I can’t take time from my schedule to work on our culture.” (Huh? This statement reveals the missed paradigm – and why the culture is probably toxic: Your culture is always under construction; right now you are either creating or dismantling it.)
• “We don’t have an accountable workforce because we don’t have responsible employees.” (Give me a break. Accountability is not legislated. Lack of accountability in an organization is a greater testament to poor leadership and culture than it is a statement about mankind.)

The speed at which your organization moves forward is equal to your ability to tell the truth. If you’re not telling the truth, you’re conducting faux meetings and having artificial conversations. And incremental progress is all you’ll ever know.

This week ask your team, “Can we do a better job of telling the truth?” And let people tell their truth.

Telling the truth does not have to ignite fireworks. The key is HOW you tell the truth. In next week’s blog we’ll explore steps on how to do that.

Vannoy and Ross
May 10, 2009

This is what’s taking place on the average team: Sally is a strong contributor, but she doesn’t give her ‘A’ game because Ted drives her crazy. Ted is average, and he refuses to give his ‘great’ effort until John quits taking all the credit. John’s pretty good at what he does, but he refuses to “raise the bar” until…you guessed, Sally brings her ‘A’ game.

This affair of “conditional effort” is a HUGE “elephant in the office” (and frankly marriages, as well).

Are you ‘all in’ – or not? It’s safe to say that most people live and lead with “conditional effort.” These are people who withhold their best ideas and the discretionary effort. They focus on what they are not getting from their colleagues and the company for which they work. And they often have a “people never change” mentality.

“Conditional effort” people have, well, conditioned themselves to a ho-hum life. And isn’t it ironic: They commit to giving the conditional effort to protect themselves from being hurt, but in the end, it’s their commitment to mediocrity that limits them.

Unconditional leaders know that it’s their decision to experience the exhilarating feeling of living and leading full-on. “The reward for giving the unconditional effort is as rewarding as my paycheck, if not more so,” shares a friend, Tim. “It’s also the only way I can ensure that every day is a great day – because I determine my effort.”

It’s trite, but true. One person can make a tremendous change. On the team above, the moment Sally or Ted or John change their conditioned approach – is the moment the team delivers a breakthrough.

Who do you work with that has affected your effort? Change that now.

“Conditional effort” thinkers believe life is like a game of chess. But it’s not: Because in leadership, it’s always our move.

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

 My eleven-year-old daughter unearthed a new, highly technical business term: the mollusk. While preparing for a science test she asked me if I knew what such a creature was. Because I’d fallen asleep in 10^th grade science class (I didn’t tell her this), I replied, “Nope. Do tell.”

“It’s an invertebrate, meaning it has a hard outer-shell and no backbone.”

Unbeknownst to my daughter, in that moment she helped me prepare for a test – an important leadership exam. Recently, I had made a mistake at the office, and rather than owning up to it I was being defensive. And I was delaying, delaying, delaying the steps needed to rectify the situation.

Translation: I had the outer shell: defensiveness. And I had no backbone: I was unwilling to take action. I was an office mollusk.

Mollusks turn into big elephants for a lot of teams, evidenced by the fact that so many organizations move at a snail’s pace. (Those who didn’t fall asleep in science class caught the intended pun: The snail is a mollusk.) Teams with mollusk-mania often hear these phrases:

• “I could never have that conversation with him. He’s my boss.”
• “Let’s ensure we have 32 meetings to discuss this before we make a decision.”
• “I didn’t do anything wrong. He’s the butthead.”
• “Don’t even try. The budget will never get approved.”
• “I wouldn’t say anything if I were you. CYA, baby.”

It’s time to lose the defensive shell and grow a backbone. Here are the words our team will hear me utter more often:

• “I take responsibility for this.”
• “I recommend we…because…”
• “What can we do to move this forward – faster?”
• “These are the facts…and here are possible solutions.”

How strong is your backbone? Will you pass your leadership exam today?

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

A friend shared that the company they work for is downsizing. They’re telling the remaining employees, “You’re going to have to work longer and harder, and get paid less.” And to make sure they really created more stress, they added, “And you’ll have to apply for your job every day.”

And if the employee doesn’t like it? “Tough. You can leave – and good luck finding a job.”

That’s one, big, hairy elephant standing in the way of a company realizing breakthrough success: Fear management works in the short term – maybe 21 minutes. And then after that: Employees begrudgingly do just enough to keep their jobs – and no more.

Fear management is ugly management that makes your stomach turn – and it’s not effective.

Gone are the opportunities where this company could get the coveted “discretionary effort” from employees. Gone are the creative solutions necessary to finding new ways to win in the “recalibrating economy.” Gone is the heart and soul of the company: Employees who care so much they identify with and work harder for the organizational and cultural brand.

For those managers who have marginal leadership skills, it can be awfully tempting to resort to fear-based management. When they do they’re telling the world: I don’t have the ability to lead any other way, other than through force and manipulation.

What these unskilled managers don’t realize is that they undoubtedly have one competitor who is doing the opposite – and therefore kicking their butt. Effective organizations know that more than ever employees are hungry to deliver excellence. In these companies they’ve transformed the “fight so you don’t lose” mentality into “fight to ensure we win.” The different results these two approaches create are striking.

How will you lead today so that those around you know you’re fighting for them? The more you do this, the more you create a culture where the sum is exponentially greater than the parts.

In the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol, three ghosts visit Ebenezer Scrooge. The ghost from Christmas past takes him on a tour of what once was; the ghost from Christmas future, hooded and carrying a scythe, provides a horrific glimpse of what will be (if Scrooge continues his miserly and cantakerous ways); and then the ghost of Christmas present pays a visit. With him, Scrooge is provided a perspective of what currently is. It is on this tour where Scrooge realizes the endless opportunities with which he’s being presented to reclaim the person he once was and who he always wanted to be: someone who makes a difference.

As you gather with friends and family over the holidays, there will certainly be stories told of what once was: of simpler times, when life seemed much easier, and joy was abundant. And, undoubtedly, conversations will turn to the future; with the economy in shambles. Dark shadows may grow as speculation gives way to “certainties.” People will shake their heads in dismay. Some may wonder, “What is to become of us?”

In this moment that you can be a guide and save your holidays – and perhaps more. The ghosts of the future aren’t a certainty. If the conversation turns to doom and gloom, interrupt and tell your family that the ghost they’re talking about don’t get a free pass. Then, ask questions like the ones below to ensure your loved ones aren’t sending invitations to the very ghost they despise.

• What are we most grateful for right now?
• What do we love and appreciate about each member of our family? 
• What are things that don’t cost money which we have in abundance?
• What qualities do we possess as a family that gives us the confidence we’ll always be secure?
• No matter what happens in the year to come, what are we determined to gain?

The future is not a nightmare and holds nothing to fear – especially when we can seize the opportunities of today to be the person we always knew we would be.

Warm wishes to you and your family during this special Holiday Season! Thank you for the abundance you continue to create.

ELEPHANT ALERT!

Recently, a top leader told hundreds in the audience, “We need to correct course. I made a decision on a strategy last year – and it has alienated some of you. That wasn’t my intention. I take full responsibility and apologize.”

The person sitting next me inspired the title of this blog when he said, “That bailout was nicely done.” 

The US government has confessed that the economy is screwed up. Time is so short, that rather than take the typical route of finding blame and scapegoats, they agree that a corrective course of action is needed immediately.

Here’s the elephant in the office: Do you work with someone who has made a mistake, but refuses to accept responsibility for it? Consequently, they carry around a “fog of disillusionment” that repels even innocent bystanders. It takes a gas mask to have a meeting with such people!

Remarkably, it takes one simple act to clear the air – and get back to work.

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

Making an apology – taking responsibility – is a powerful leadership act. And while it’s easy to identify those people we work with who have the “fog of disillusionment” around them, consider that you, too, have such a challenge.

Are you ready to conduct your own bailout? With whom do you have a troubled relationship? It may be time to say, “I apologize. I take responsibility.” (If your ego has a grip on you, you can add, “I apologize for my part.”) And of course, it’s illegal to add “…but you need to take responsibility too.”

Bailouts save sinking ships. And they immediately put relationships on a course to greater productivity.

Bailouts are in vogue. Why not conduct your own?

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

ELEPHANT ALERT!

There’s an old saying that if you squeeze an orange you can expect to get orange juice. The pressure for higher performance is significant. Stress, adversity, ambiguity…it can seem to mount every day. Do you feel like you’re getting squeezed?

And when you’re squeezed – what comes out?

Here’s the elephant in the office: You may laugh at the above question. Most likely this is because you’ve worked next to people who, when squeezed, emit some not-so-pleasant material.

Isn’t it ironic? When things become difficult, when the pressure mounts, some people and teams deliver their worst.

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

As you grow older, as your responsibilities and the pressures mount, what are you discovering about yourself? Do you like what you are delivering for your peers, your family – and yourself?

When the numbers aren’t where you want them to be, does your response reflect your deepest values? When you’re tempted to cut corners, do people see your highest level of integrity? When you get home at night and you’re exhausted, does your family see you shine?

At this point in your career, do you appreciate and admire who you have become? And are you excited about who you are you becoming?

Regardless of your answer to the above question you can celebrate – because asking yourself these questions begins to build the awareness that is necessary to create the changes you want to make.

This week pay attention. The next time you feel the pressure mount, the next time you feel the squeeze, ask yourself, “How will I respond in a way that is congruent with who I want to be?”

It is how you respond to pressure that people discover who you really are.

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