Originally Printed: August 18, 2009

Are you teaching your competition a lesson? Or is your competition teaching you?

They say you can learn a lot from children. Even so, there’s one thing we don’t want to learn.  Children across the land are going “back to school.” This means, of course, that they’ve been out of school; they took a break from learning; they stopped improving themselves. Can you imagine what would happen if adults functioned the same way?

Can you imagine what would happen if adults functioned the same way?

Sadly, it doesn’t take much imagination to answer that question. Are there people all around you who are making a dire mistake? Indeed, there are entire organizations who are plagued by this “elephant in the office.”

In these unfortunate organizations, experiences – in fact entire days – are tossed aside as being worthless because people failed to leverage the events of the day by asking one simple question:

“What can we learn from this experience?”

Intellectually, people know they should be driving “learning organizations.” Such companies out perform their competition. Yet, in some organizations, day after day unravels and the question above is not being asked.

It’s a fact: If you don’t teach yourself, you’ll be tutored by your competition.

Given the current state of the economy, there is no doubt about it: School is in session. We’d best sit up in our seat and take notes. Only the ‘A’ students will graduate. Here are questions that will ensure you move to the head of the class:

1. During this period, what strengths have we discovered that we possess?
2. What did we learn from the period of prosperity that proceeded this recession – that we will remember to apply when the economy speeds up?
3. What have we done in past periods of difficulty that we can replicate now?
4. What have we learned about our customer needs that will guide us?
5. What motivations can we tap into that will inspire greater accountability?

Vince Lombardi once stated, “I never said it would be easy. I only said it would be worth it.” This inspires an additional question that will ensure you harvest perhaps the most important lesson:

How will we function today so that in the future when we look back at this period we can say “

…but it was worth it.”

Vannoy and Ross

July 27, 2010

A construction crew was building a bridge. The foreman was barking orders, commanding the men to work faster and smarter. As time went on, the crew began to ignore their boss. This frustrated the foreman. When he’d had enough, he stood on the bridge in front of them and shouted, “You need to listen to me. I have 20 years of experience!”

One of the men spoke up, “No you don’t. You have one year of experience that you’ve had over and over for 20 years.”  

It’s an old story, but it isn’t tired. There are many lessons to mine. Including this one: When do a person’s years of experience become a detriment rather than an asset?

How many of your teammates use experiences that occur every day as their greatest resource for getting better? And not just as the capabilities necessary to deliver their job description – but as a resource to become a greater leader, a greater person?

It sounds easy in theory, doesn’t it? “Yes, I wake up every day knowing I can get better.” Yet, when, during my day, am I shaking my head in frustration? What “buttons” do people push that continue to drive me crazy? Who in the organization keeps torturing me with their attitudes and behaviors? What to-do item do I continue to avoid?

The answers to these questions reveal that I, too, may suffer from the illusion that “my-years-of-experience-mean-I’m-getting-better.”

What’s the fundamental message to ourselves if the same people, the same issues, the same circumstances provoke some sort of dysfunctional reaction by us?

My unenlightened answer is: “Well, they’ve got to change.”

My enlightened answer is: “I may have worked here for 20 years, but I’m not sure I have that many years of experience. How will I gain greater experiences today?”

Vannoy and Ross

Right now, let’s admit the obvious: We all have friends – or at least we should – who will tell us the truth. If we’re doing something wrong, they’ll tell us. The difference between high-performing organizations and average-performing ones is that you don’t have to be friends to tell the truth; you simply have to be on the same team.

Somewhere, somehow, someone made a leadership rule that we’re supposed to be nice to each other. Granted, as humans we want to be benevolent; we don’t want to hurt people. What gets many teams stuck in the abyss of averageness is when being nice takes precedent over being professional: Respectful, supportive, direct, collaborative, truthful and trustworthy (among other things).

Yet, it’s one thing to muster the courage to tell someone they’ve got an issue. It’s an even bigger event to receive the feedback in a way that moves everyone forward.

Consider this: You’ve got spinach in your teeth. There’s something you’re doing – or not doing – that is slowing you or others down. Heck, it might even be embarrassing. But of course, addressing this “spinach affliction” isn’t nearly as embarrassing as it is for your company when it under-whelms its customers. Now that’s some big spinach that’s mighty embarrassing.

Here are the top three reasons why people may not tell you you’ve got green, leafy things stuck in your teeth:

1)      When they’ve told you in the past, you’ve argued with them and denied the evidence;

2)      You’ve rationalized why you had to have spinach in your teeth, why you have to be less than perfect. Or,

3)      You’ve received their feedback as a threat against who you are as a person. You reasoned “spinach in my teeth = I’m a loser.” Consequently, your production plummeted. (Interpretation to others: Just be nice to him or her.)

Today, discuss with those around you what it would look like to take the next step in fighting for each other’s success by telling the truth even more. For example, talk about what it would look like to receive constructive feedback and:

A)    Listen intently;

B)    Ask for their help in moving forward;

C)    And then thank them.

(And now, who feels like brushing their teeth?)

Vannoy and Ross

April 8, 2010                                                     

 

 

The boys of summer are at it again: Baseball’s first pitch has been thrown. Watch one game and you can learn a lot about how to improve your game right now. Here are baseball’s big lessons for leadership.

 

1. You’ve got to swing the bat if you’re going to get a hit. Standing at the plate watching pitches go by isn’t going to win you any games. Where in your life right now are you ready to step up to the plate – and swing? Where are you ready to demonstrate your confidence and make a decision? It’s time to move forward: swing the bat.
2. You can win games by manufacturing runs. When you do swing the bat, it doesn’t have to be a home run that you hit. Hitting singles and taking advantage of the opportunities your opponent offers is a winning formula. Perfection isn’t what’s needed, consistency is. Where in your life are you ready to celebrate the “incremental runs” you’re generating?
3. Fundamentals – fundamentals – fundamentals. Keep your eye on the ball; put your elbow up; lead with your hips; keep the bat level. Batting is a science – and those that are disciplined get on base more than those who don’t. Where in your job are you ready to go to the next level…by going back and delivering on the basics, the fundamentals that are key to your success?
4. And as Tom Hanks reminded us, There’s no crying in baseball. Whiners, complainers, those focusing on all their problems and what’s not working don’t get to play. Putting on the uniform means it’s not about you, it’s about the team. Whether you work at the ball park or the industrial park, you must be able to lead yourself – your focus and your emotions – if you want to be successful at leading others.

And one more big baseball lesson for leadership: It’s a long season. Do everything you can to win…then enjoy the game.

 

 

 

  

There once was a football coach who, every day he walked on the field, would clap his hands and exclaim, “It’s a great day to get better!”

How would you have felt if you had played for this coach, and instead of stating the above, he shouted, “It’s a great day to stay the same!” Or, “It’s a great day to just try and survive!”

There are not many people who would sign up to play for such a “status-quo” coach. Because at a deep level we all know: “It’s a great day to get better.”

Yet, have you ever heard someone succumbing to the pressures they face and state, “Mercy! I just hope I can make it to the end of the day!”

Or, do you know anyone who is:

• avoiding difficult conversations,
• delaying tough decisions,
• living to get to the weekend
• or believes they don’t have to improve today to win tomorrow?

These people are defenders of the status quo. A collection of too many such-minded people, and your company (or family) is at risk of sitting on a plateau – and falling into the abyss of irrelevance.

My friend, Dick Frisbie, is a leader within a company that develops status-quo slayers. “Continuous improvement” is an age-old idea that has lifted many organizations to the top. But when you’re at the top, how do you stay there? Dick’s team knows: You apply within. You apply within yourself and evolve the continuous improvement mindset to include…people.

With “continuous people improvement” every interaction of every day is a chance to get better. This means that as we interact with others we focus on three things:

1. What can I do or say that builds this person’s self-confidence and discipline?
2. What will I do to build a stronger relationship with this person?
3. How can I respond in a way to ensure the best long-term business results?

By applying our wisdom within, organizational improvement – and thus greater results – become the norm. Which means that today is…a great day to get better.

Vannoy and Ross

 

What’s the excuse uttered more often than any other? The answer is also a top reason mediocrity is delivered in the workplace – and at home. The answer is also one of the biggest tricks – the biggest lies – people use to fool…themselves.

What is this big blunder that chokes so many? See if you can decode these common statements:

1. “I couldn’t get to that project because I ran out of…time.”
2. “The scope of the work is too big. We don’t have enough…time.”
3. “I was going to lose weight this year, but when I get home I never have enough…time to exercise.”
4. “You can’t blame me for not getting it done. I had zero…time.”
5. “Focus on the customer’s needs? If we had more…time, maybe we could.”

Time. It’s a coveted resource, and perhaps that’s why it’s the number one “here’s-why-I-didn’t-get-it-done” excuse…ever. And here’s why: You always have enough time. What’s more: You have the same amount of time as your competition and your neighbor.

One of the biggest differences between mediocrity and greatness is not who has more time, but how you spend the time you have. The belief that we “didn’t have enough time” is an ‘elephant’ that is crushing the success of team’s and careers everywhere.

Want to see greater results via enhanced personal accountability? Take this challenge: Begin replacing “didn’t have enough time” with these words:

1. “I wasn’t able to finish the project because I spent my time with these priorities…”
2. “The scope of the work requires that we plan our time differently.”
3. “Tomorrow I will choose to spend my time in a way that ensures I get to exercise.”
4. “I didn’t use my time in a way to deliver on this work.”
5. “How do we get better at focusing on the customer ALL the time?”

Everyone get’s the same amount of time: 24 hours. Results are not a matter of how much time you have. It’s a matter of how you choose to spend the time you have.

Craig Ross and Steven Vannoy

Originally Run: July 21, 2007

Have you ever found yourself stuck in a conversation where the other person has nothing but “backward focused” things to say? Like a garbage collector they sift through the trash of the past, as if by turning it over they might find some hope.

Of course, the only hope you’re thinking about is “there must be some way out of this conversation.”

The average person, when in such a predicament, follows their focus (it’s what our minds naturally do). And as a result, they can quickly join in and become a thought-garbage collector themselves. Now it’s not a solo – where one person is singing the “what’s wrong with the world” song, it has become a choir, as an entire group of people are doing nothing but complaining.

When I find myself stuck in this mindset, I laugh at myself on the drive home. How dare I complain about how much I have to do, and how &%$#* my life is, when the truth is this: it was only I who didn’t have the discipline to step up and control my focus.

Stop the Garbage Collecting!

A man named Bob recently said, “When we find the conversation becoming negative there is something we can do.” We can stop the garbage collecting by “simply asking them, ‘What’s important?’ or ‘What do you want?’ And then, after that, we can ask them, ‘Why?’”

I know Bob and he’s not your average leader. He has delivered stellar results for his company for nearly 35 years. He said, “If we can get them focused forward, on what’s important and what they want, we can then begin to identify what they can do about it and how they can move forward. That’s the only way we’ll ever deliver solutions.”

Simple questions that help people out of the garbage: What do you want? What’s important to you? Why?

Know anybody that could use a lifeline?

 

 

Vannoy and Ross

 

 

“We have a bias for action” is a popular phrase meant to signal that someone is serious about getting things done. And, while it’s true there are people who like to talk about business rather than doing business, have you noticed that a “bias for action” doesn’t automatically equate to greater results? In fact, all too often a “bias for action” is costing companies money.

 What good is a bias for action…if the actions you take lead you backwards?

 

In many companies one has to look no further than the meetings being conducted to observe backward-action leadership. In an effort to get to “action” as quickly as possible, too many bosses do what they’ve always done: start by analyzing what’s not working, then determine where the problems lie, ask who or what is to blame, and finish with sharing their concerns regarding the plan forward.

 

This bias for the wrong action backfires in bad ways: communication stalls as defenses go up, confidence plummets because momentum vanishes, egos flare, and very little work gets done. As our friend, Per L., says, this is the “anti-solutioning” approach.

 

There’s a better approach. In your next meeting demonstrate your bias for the right action by focusing on solutions, what is necessary to improve, what you are learning, and how to make ideas work. This focus is accomplished by asking questions such as:

• What progress have we made since our last meeting that we can expand on?
• What are the three most important actions we should take to hit our target?
• What lessons have we learned that we want to leverage moving forward?
• How will we know we’re executing our strategy?

 

Demonstrating a bias for the right action moves teams forward faster. As “Quotable Joe” in Cincinnati reports, “We now leap-frog the commiseration stage of the meeting, and get more done – faster.”

 

Leaders everywhere are begging for higher performance from their teams. And yet, would it surprise you to learn that many leaders are sabotaging their team’s performance with their current methods?

Somewhere, somehow, bosses learned that in an effort to get people to improve they should: 1) Point out what others are doing wrong, and 2) Provide specific feedback only in the annual performance review.

It’s crazy: Imagine you are a parent: How much sense would it make if you only provided your children feedback once a year? And, when you did provide them such information you focused on everything they were doing wrong.

What would you expect for behavior from children exposed to such an approach? Would you volunteer to babysit them?

The brain is a brain, whether it’s in a child or an adult. This means you can guarantee: It goes towards its focus. This is why legendary football coach, Paul “Bear” Bryant, would rarely stop the game film when his players were making mistakes. He reasoned: Why program their minds to reinforce what you don’t want to have happen? Instead, his players could count on watching (and watching again) those moments when their performance was strong.

Additionally, timely feedback is crucial. “In the moment” feedback propels performance forward immediately. For example, “John, by delivering the project today instead of tomorrow, you put us on a pace to hit our Q1 target. Thank you.”

When feedback is sincere (your mean it), specific (focused on the details of excellence), and selective (timely), every day is filled with powerful performance enhancer moments. (From our book, Stomp the Elephant in the Office)

The question is: Are you willing to seize those moments…or do you just want to talk about it at the end of the year?

I asked him, “Why not?”

“Because they never work.”

Did you catch it? This man is at risk of making a crucial error in judgment – and it may cost him dearly in the year ahead. The error isn’t that he didn’t create a New Year’s resolution; his error is that he doesn’t believe he can change.

Immeasurable human potential will be lost in 2010 because too many people won’t even try to change. How will you ensure that 2010 is not a repeat of 2009 for you? Beware of these three obstacles, and when you encounter them blow through them.

1. The “Mis-Identification” Obstacle: Too many people identify themselves with the results they create. This ensures future paralysis as you eventually will deliver sub-par performance – meaning YOU are sub-par. (Really? - Not.) Dissolve this obstacle by positioning all outcomes as fodder for the hungry person you are.
2. The “I Don’t Really Care” Obstacle: This is a silly game we all play with ourselves. When you try something new and don’t succeed your defense is to fool yourself into believing you don’t care. Dissolve this obstacle by memorizing this question – and answering it frequently: Why do I care?
3. The “Query Quandary” Obstacle: It’s a fact that questions trigger the mind. Yet, when most people trip while attempting to achieve, they ask the wrong question: “What am I doing wrong?” This puts them in a quandary: by answering this question they become experts at failure. (And thus, fail more.) Dissolve this obstacle by asking forward focus questions such as, “What will I do better next time?”

 

Don’t kill the messenger: A new year is here. Change efforts – be it resolutions or otherwise – do work if the change technology you’re using is effective.

Here’s to blowing through obstacles in the months ahead.