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.”

School’s In: Are You ‘Schooling’ Your Competition –

or ‘Being Schooled’?

 Vannoy and Ross

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?

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

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, 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.”

Are there people on your team who are confused because the manner in which they conducted business in the past isn’t working anymore? And, do you know people who are frozen, unsure what to do next, because they’re puzzled about the future?

Welcome to the Era of Confuzzlement.

Confusion and puzzlement reign, leaving too many teams arguing about their past (a complete waste of time) and ridiculously slow to respond to the future. So slow in some cases, that the future becomes the past before they can do anything about it. Which means, of course, these teams then have new (old) material to argue about. And the cycle continues, in some cases leaving entire organizations confuzzled.

Lead by Stepping Out and Up.

“This is a crisis economy,” shares a friend named Rich. “You can’t follow the same rules. You can’t think like you used to. You have to step out and up. You have to lead different.”

Rich should know. He’s part of a team that is guiding an organization through difficult – and successful – changes. Below are some of the reasons why they’re winning. Use these steps with your team to step out and up:

1)    Create a culture where everyone is responsible for leading – everyone is expected to step out and up.

2)    Ask forward focus questions – and lots of them. Rich’s organization knows that the moment they get comfortable with “answers” that in time, people will become confuzzled. Leadership is in the questions – not the answers.

3)    Build a thinking system that responds to new ideas with “how do we make that work?” instead of the confuzzled approach of “here’s why that won’t work.”

If you are approaching business like you did three years ago, your customers will most certainly become confuzzled, too, and take their scarce dollars elsewhere.

You can lead today by clearing up the confuzzlement that grips so many. Today, step out and up.

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

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?

There are a lot of people dreaming right now. January marks the point for setting a course in the New Year. What is it you want to achieve? What do you want to do? Become?

Here’s some important advice: Don’t follow your dreams. 

Last year a big, hairy elephant stood in the way of millions of dreams. And he’s ready to trample your dreams for 2009 if you’re not careful. There is a better way.

Don’t follow your dreams – because following anything doesn’t guarantee you’ll get there. How many people set lofty aspirations – only to become sidetracked or disillusioned? “It wasn’t what I really wanted to do anyway,” they rationalized. Or, “That dream was ridiculous. Did you hear what would have been expected of me?”

So they go back to living the life they lived before. And there’s nothing wrong with that…unless you want to improve the life you lived before.

If you’re serious about achieving anything in 2009 don’t follow your dreams – drive your dreams. Bring a level of determination and control and commitment and passion and excitement that leaves little doubt change is what you’re about. 

Drive. Don’t follow.

Following dreams relegates people to never-ending analysis and the search for the perfect plan or method to achieving dreams. And because they follow dreams, they’re susceptible to following the next good idea that comes along. And the next. And the next…which gets them nowhere.

This year, ensure success by: 

1. Setting the vision/dream;
2. Choosing the strategy;
3. Then driving the strategy – consistently.

There is no secret strategy, no hidden code that creates success for some – while others languish in dream purgatory. The difference lies in the execution, in choosing to follow a dream – or drive it. 

ELEPHANT ALERT!

The American auto industry has been told by the U.S. government that, in order to receive financial assistance, they must prove they can “reinvent themselves.” This is easier said than done.

Here’s the elephant in the office: There’s abundant research proving that as most people expand their careers, their ability to try new methods and expand their knowledge grinds to a halt. They begin to rely on the tired skills and behaviors that brought them early successes – even when those skills and behaviors won’t deliver successes tomorrow.

This creates a dark future with one of two things happening: 1) The death of a career, or 2) The need to make dramatic “inventions” just to survive.

It doesn’t have to be this difficult.

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

Some of the finest, most effective leaders we know work for auto companies. Yet, the overall culture of an organization will always dwarf the efforts of those in the minority. Thus, the consensus – or at least perception – persists: The US auto companies didn’t change as fast as the marketplace.

What can we learn from this? Answer: The most effective leaders and organizations reinvent themselves every day.

Most organizations fall short when reinventing themselves because:

1. They focus on their failures, which creates a culture of blame and defensiveness – which means they’re unable to generate the creative solutions needed. And,
2. They see reinventing themselves as an event, which means it won’t happen often enough to ensure success.

Use this proven formula to ensure that “reinvention” becomes a process, a way of life:

1. Focus on what’s working.
2. Consistently ask, “What can we do even better, more of, or differently to create greater results?”
3. Celebrate even the small advances.

This formula will deliver your most important invention: a “you” that succeeds.

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

ELEPHANT ALERT!

Getting older often means “more aches and pains.” A friend, Jay, in his 40’s, regularly plays basketball. “It’s disappointing. The knees are swollen. My shoulder hurts. And the ankles are giving me fits.” 

And he keeps playing.

In many ways, today’s market is creating pains. Budgets, organizational confidence, 401K’s – they were once bulging as if on steroids. Now, perhaps because they were over-stretched, they spasm and cause sharp pain. 

What do most people do when they’re sore?

Here’s the elephant in the office: People everywhere are grabbing their ice-packs, aspirin, and heading to the sidelines. They show up each day with a “wait and see” attitude. Of course, because they’re unwilling to fully commit to the cause in front of them, they only ensure their team is less likely to win when the score is tallied.

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

The answer is in Jay’s approach. “Once you get the ball, nothing hurts anymore,” he says. “When you are determined to make a play, it’s all you can focus on.” And the aches and pains go away.

It’s a trite saying, but perhaps – at this crucial moment – it’s more relevant than ever: Get in the game. 

It’s a fact: If we stop exercising because of aches and pains – we exacerbate and give power to the very thing that’s knocked us down. The same goes in business. Just because things have gotten difficult doesn’t mean we should stop playing the game. We just need to play the game differently. 

Ask you team:

1. How can we flex our awareness and take greater action?
2. What questions can we ask to create greater focus?
3. In what ways are we getting stronger?

Pain may be a reality. What you do with your focus is up to you.

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

ELEPHANT ALERT!

Things are bad. Retirement savings have been slashed. Unemployment is up. The value of houses is down. No one is buying what’s being sold. The future is bleak. What’s a person to do?

Here’s the elephant in the office: People are quitting everywhere. They’re showing up for work paralyzed. They’re talking about their fears, all the things they disagree with, who’s to blame, and how they feel hopeless. It’s ugly – and little work is being done.

There are options. We recommend you tell them to quit.

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

Do you know someone who is stressed and miserable? Encourage them to quit.

Tell them to,

• “Quit feeling sorry for yourself. Quit giving up your emotional control to a bunch of numbers generated by Wall Street. Quit trying to figure out who to blame. Quit perpetuating you fears by re-exploring them each time you see your friends. Quit thinking you’re the only one who is right. Quit thinking you’re always wrong. Quit replaying old, worn-out tapes of the would’ves, should’ves and could’ves. Quit pretending you’re somebody you’re not. Quit getting angry at others who reveal who you are. Quit putting everyone you disagree with in a box. Quit discriminating against things you don’t understand. Quit bringing the poison of your day home for your family to taste. Quit looking at the flaws in the details that make up your life.
• “(Most of all, quit quitting.)
• “And if you’re serious about quitting, stop focusing on what you intend to quit – and spend your time thinking about what you want.”

Today, stop and consider: What do you want? What’s important to you? Why is it important? And how will you take a step in that direction – beginning now?

Quitting is easy…when you know what you want.

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

ELEPHANT ALERT!

Who wrecked the economy? There’s a lot of finger pointing: lending practices, consumer debt, executive greed…the list goes on. In the end, the crisis can be traced to poor judgment and ill-advised human behaviors. 

Aliens didn’t descend from outer space and plant this problem. We created this mess. 

Here’s the elephant in the office: “You can’t blame me. I’m only a small piece of the system,” some might say. And they’d be right on two counts: This isn’t about blame, and they are a part of a system – the system of “us.” We – you and me – are responsible for the culture in which we operate. How we function – our culture – determines our results.

It is shocking how few people own this responsibility. Those who do take responsibility choose not to be victims – and become tomorrow’s leaders. 

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

We’re talking about accountability. And there’s good news: Businesses are the perfect and primary vehicle to create greater responsibility and a culture of accountability, for business is the grandest forum with which our society interacts. 

Countless people will spend time on blame and focusing on what went wrong; and while the causes for this malaise must be understood and consequences delivered, the only way we can move forward is if we lead ourselves forward.

Today, discuss these questions with your team:

1. In our environment, what’s the difference between “holding someone accountable” and “ensuring accountability”?
2. To what extent does our team reinforce and reward accountability?
3. What are the actions that build accountability in others?

The future belongs to those who choose to stand up again. Ensure your organization leads the way and makes a culture of accountability a greater reality today.

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

ELEPHANT ALERT!

When I was ten I had an experience I will never forget. It was a typical, oppressive, hot and humid day in Minnesota. I’d been in the field picking rock for hours and wasn’t happy.

Suddenly, an idea came to me that would make my life easier – and possibly change the world!

Walking into the house I shared my secret. “Dad! Someday I’m going to invent a very thin, lotion-like substance that will insulate me from the sun and keep me cool. It will be like an invisible suit you can wear in the heat.”

My dad looked at me and laughed. “It’s already been invented, son.”

I was shocked. “Really?”

“Yep,” my dad replied. “It’s called sweat.”

Here’s the elephant in the office: There’s a lot of people under stress who are functioning as if they’re incomplete, as if they lack what it takes to be a success. They whine, complain, and mope around…wishing they had what they already have. Such people function in a perpetual state of failure.

What does it mean to you and your chances for success knowing that most of your competition is probably using this “elephant in the office” approach?

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

Try this conversation with a friend or team: What is the difference between determining what we need to acquire in order to be a success vs. determining what we can do to leverage what we already have to be an even greater success? As you consider your results, include in your observations the varied impact the two approaches have on attitudes, confidence and momentum.

Consider that you don’t need to invent sweat to be a success – you simply need to sweat.

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