Vannoy and Ross

There’s lot of talk recently about having ‘fun in the workplace.’ But what is fun? Too many bosses get it wrong.

Here are the three most common strategies to create “fun” and the reasons why they tend to backfire.

1. The Pizza Party Ploy – People can’t be bought, even with their stomach. This event gives them time to stand in cliques and reinforce what they don’t like about…
2. Bonus Boomerang – Competition is a healthy thing, but when you create losers at work you’re set up for disaster. Plus, what happens if the same people win each time?
3. High-Five Fakers – When compliments are conniving and enthusiasm forced, people can sense it and rebel.

But wait! Aren’t the strategies above fun things? Aren’t they effective at injecting a workplace with much needed spirit, camaraderie, and excitement? Not when they are the only strategies utilized.

Is it possible that some people have confused fun with entertained? The most productive employees aren’t confused. They know certain elements must be in place before they can have fun.

What do employees think is the most fun? When they excel at their jobs. Our partners in the field have found that when they build the following five qualities in the workplace, they have fun.

• Develop self-reliant, healthy individuals.
• Build a culture that is pro-active and full of trust.
• Establish full, free, two-way information flow.
• Build clear, achievable, stretch objectives and execution plan.
• Create a team identity that empowers and excites.

Build these five components and fun – and results – take care of themselves.

In every single Pathways to Leadership session we conduct, the desire to achieve “balance” is loudly stated as an objective. The lack of balance in the work place is an epidemic, one that research shows has a grave effect on results.

“Among more than 1,000 employees recently polled nationwide by Harris Interactive for Deloitte & Touche, the vast majority (91%) cited work-life balance as having a bigger impact on fostering good behavior than enforcing harsh workplace rules and penalties, the survey found.” (Quoted from Angus Loten’s web-article, Stress and Long Hours Prompt Employees to Lie, Cheat, and Steal at Inc.com.)

Sometimes I wonder who pays to have such research done, when the collective response is “Duh” – as in “who didn’t know that?” What’s equally surprising is the number of people who apparently hold their employer responsible for their work-life balance.

Innovate Your Leadership Focus.

It’s understandable that people feel significant pressure to perform at work. As the president of mechanical organization told me on the phone today, “It’s definitely a ‘do more with less’ world.” But this leader didn’t stop there. His follow-up comment was even more valuable than the first: “We can’t do things the same way. We have to innovate.”

He was talking about business leadership. He just as well could have been talking about personal leadership.

You Determine Your Work-Life Balance.

Fact: if you’re waiting for the conditions in your life to change (i.e. your boss, employer…) before you create work-life balance, throw away your watches because you’ll be waiting for a long time. Conditions may not change, but your choices can. Work-life balance is determined by one person: you.

Here’s the cool news: you don’t have to change your job to get work-life balance. True, plenty of employers abuse their workforce, and they, rightfully, have to deal with the high cost of turnover and poor ethics, among other ailments. What is equally true is that there are countless people who have taken the issue of work-life balance into their own hands by what they choose to focus on.

Graduates of the Pathways to Leadership program know that during the drive home from work they can take a Magic Moment. They use this precious time to ask themselves key questions to shift their focus.

• Instead of, “What do I really hate about my job?” they ask, “What did I learn today that will be valuable?”
• Rather than, “What didn’t I get done today?” these people ask themselves, “What did I do well today?”
• Not, “Why is my life such a mess?” – rather - “What are the greatest blessings in my life?”
• And instead of, “How come the relatives have to come over tonight?” they ask, “How can I be the best _____ (you fill in the blank – mom, dad, husband, wife…) that I can possibly be tonight?”

No surprise, the people that ask the subsequent questions report being “on-a-roll” when they get home – just in time to do the most important leadership work of the day.

The subtle but equally important part of this equation is that these people also report going back to work the next day equally enthusiastic. (Talk about impacting ethical behavior.)

Whose responsibility is it that you have work-life balance? What’s bigger, the circumstances in your life – or you?   You decide.

Vannoy and Ross

We’re sending out a call to all strategic slow-pokes. In this rush-rush-rush world where it’s all about results-results-results, some of your peers have missed the point. Some of your colleagues have fallen under the illusion that going faster all the time is the answer to delivering greater results.

But, as Neil Young so sagely reminds us, “When I was faster, I was always behind.”

The equation is easy to recognize:

Rush + rush + rush (multiplied by “dog-gone-it-I’ll-never-get-it-all-done-sort-of-stress) = results – short term gain (multiplied by poor quality).

Of course, we’re not advocating for full-time slow-poke-iness. The sort of slowness we’re talking about is the sort of time it takes to build sustainable, high quality results – which ultimately means your team moves faster.

Use this guide to help your colleagues know when they should act with urgency…and when they should be a strategic slow-poke:

1. When someone else shares a concern, your colleague can say “got it” (rush-rush-rush)…or they can state, “Tell me more,” and take the time to listen so others feel listened to (slow-poke).
2. They can start a meeting focusing on the problem (rush-rush-rush), which means they’ll be experts at why knowing why they’re failures…or they can start with “What are our strengths in this area?” (slow-poke) which means they’ll gain clues on how to be a greater success.
3. And when a peer doesn’t perform to expectations, your colleague can sternly state their disapproval by insinuating, “I’m extremely disappointed in you – you’re a loser” (rush-rush-rush)…or your colleague can tap into greater motivations by asking, “I want to know why it’s important to you deliver excellence as you complete this project?” (slow-poke).

Being a strategic slow-poke isn’t for everyone. It’s an approach reserved for those who desire results and quality and sustainability so their team can ultimately move faster.

Where can you help others get strategically slow today?

You’re going somewhere. As an achiever you know what you want to accomplish. Often, the question is – how? How will you get where you want to go?

If you had to choose only one skill to get you from here (today) to there (tomorrow), what would that skill be?

The “most important skill to master” doesn’t require additional time, nor will it cost you a penny.

The most important skill to master is the ability to utilize every moment – every interaction, effort and thought – as a priceless resource for improvement. Many companies understand “continuous improvement” as it relates to the quality of their products; you can help your team differentiate itself by evolving this mindset to life and leadership.

It’s a fact: Many people are moving through the day with the objective of…getting to the end of the day. Operating from the illusion that “they need to get away” to rest or improve, they forfeit the daily experiences that would deliver them to higher ground. Additionally, you can nearly guarantee your competition “goes through the paces of business” throwing away millions of interactions between their employees…only to wait until the holiday season to build teamwork.

Every moment you’ve lived and led has been your personal training ground for…now. The best time to improve as a person, leader, parent, and spouse is now.

How will you seize the moments of today to prepare you for tomorrow? Periodically, ask yourselves questions like:

1. Emotionally, am I/we responding to this event in a way that will allow us to move forward faster and more effectively?
2. What greater strengths and disciplines am I discovering about myself/our team that will serve me/us moving forward?
3. What will I/we do even better next time to ensure we develop people, relationships and results?

You’ve made it to today. How will you make it count for something?

 

Did you celebrate Leadership Day this past weekend?

Sunday, in the United States, was “Mother’s Day,” a time to celebrate and thank your mom for her significance. Most countries around the world have similar celebrations throughout the year.

And the savvy leaders reading this know that the day has been misnamed. It’s not really Mother’s Day. It’s Leadership Day.This past weekend, did you thank your Mom for her leadership? As our friend Rich says, “Your mother is the first leader you ever know! And they provide the model for firmness and courage that shapes and affects most everything we do today.”

So all in favor of changing the name of Mothers Day to Leadership Day shout “I do!” For its mother’s leadership lessons that carry the most successful businesses forward:

• “Rise and shine!” was more than a wake-up call…it was an understanding that you can be better than you were yesterday – and this remains one of the greatest reasons for getting out of bed in the morning;
• Listening is an art, and saying, “I understand,”…builds bonds that are unbreakable;
• Insisting you do your homework…reminds us that vision without execution is meaningless;
• Playing well with others is more important than being the smartest kid on the block…and having no one to play with;
• Waiting for everyone to sit down before you pick up your dinner fork…shows a respect of others that will get you invited back to the table;
• The lessons you’ll remember most aren’t the ones mom lectured you on…it’s the wisdom she ensured you discovered;
• Skinned knees and “owies” are to be treasured…it lets the world know you’re “going for it;”
• Calling each other names won’t break bones, but it breaks bonds…the family is only as strong as the weakest relationship.

And mother’s greatest leadership lesson?

Remember that having a positive spread sheet isn’t much fun…if it doesn’t come with a cookie sheet full of those steaming, oozing chocolate chip cookies: Enjoy the journey.

 

There once was an important man who ran a warehouse business. After decades on the job, he determined he knew everything there was to know about the people in the company. He knew who to communicate with, whom to go to when he needed to get a job done. And he knew who he could trust.

Year after year he made decisions based on the information he had. For instance, he knew that everyone in the finance department had a one-word vocabulary: NO. Everyone in sales was GREEDY. Everyone in production was SLOW. Those in HR didn’t have a clue about how to run a business. And the techies and engineers in the organization were the same NERDS who drove him crazy in high school.

Even with all his experience and wisdom, one thing eluded this manager: success. This man coveted big, leave-a-legacy and be-a-benchmark-in-the-industry sort of success. Confused, he pondered, “What do I need to do to take the next step?”

Just then his phone rang. “Hello?” he answered. It was his manager calling – to report how difficult ‘the NO people’ in finance were making things…and how the sales people were putting unrealistic demands on him…and how production was slower than a snail…and…and…

“Can I call you back?” the man interrupted his manager. And he hung up. And then he stood up.

“That’s it,” he realized. “I’ve been making decisions based on information I have – and the only information I have is why people are jerks, why things won’t work, and all the reasons we can’t move forward faster.” He looked at himself in the mirror and continued, “I’m in the warehouse business, alright. I collect and store and dispense the same destructive information! And, because those around me know how I think about people and things that’s the only type of information they share with me. People who don’t feel the way I do don’t share information with me – and it’s their information and perspectives that I need to make better leadership decisions.”

He put his coat on and uttered, “I’ve been tricking myself into thinking I have the information I need. It’s time to get out of the warehouse business – and into the business of leadership.”

 

First, a note: We’re celebrating our third year of the Stomp the Elephant blog! The success and impact of this “one minute wonder” has exceeded our hopes. Thank you for your role in communicating your ideas and successes, and for sharing the blog with others.

  ELEPHANT ALERT!

 

Do you know some people and teams who can’t discuss their past? While working with a company in the Midwest, someone referred to “those two years we had so-and-so as a CEO.” Another person quickly added, “Yeah, but we don’t talk about that here.”

That’s a big, ugly elephant in the office – one that is severely limiting their success. How crazy is it working in a place where you can’t talk about something? Where you can’t tell the truth?

How productive can one be when they have to censor their words – and thus edit or eliminate their ideas?  This sort of behavior has to stop.

Consider what effective leaders know: stomping elephants isn’t painful – it’s how you address them that is key. Teams can talk about the tough issues – the past – without destroying people and relationships. It just takes leadership.

The organization above is throwing away two years of experience (is there a greater resource?), because they lack the leadership to stomp the elephant. Imagine if they asked these and similar questions:

• What are the experiences during that period that need to be discussed?
• What are the lessons we need to retain moving forward?
• How has our past made us better today?
• What can we do so that people are grateful for past experiences?

Not talking about the tough issues has gone on long enough. Let’s stomp some elephants and get some work done.

 

Vannoy and Ross

(originally appeared February 17, 2008)

If you’re workplace is average, this work week you will waste 17 hours.

How many hours do you spend in meetings? “My day is one long meeting,” people often share with a sigh. Given this, how productive are the meetings you attend?

An online survey of employees in all industries revealed that, on average, 17 hours each week are wasted in unproductive meetings. Ouch!

 

Many people we interview report that fewer than 30% of the participants in a meeting are fully engaged. Like a leaky bucket, organizations allow the best ideas, the conscientious efforts and salaries go splashing away in a routine of “time-wasting” meetings.

Ineffective managers blame the disengaged – never comprehending that their own “blah-blah-blah” monologue and ‘blame-fix-command’ approach shoots holes in the aspirations, and results, of all. Thus, meetings become simply awful.

Awfully Simple… 

There are select leaders who have made productive meetings the norm – by keeping them awfully simple.

Think 10:90. A friend in the auto industry shares, “The more talking I do in meetings, the more people tune out. So I use the ‘10:90 Ratio.’ By limiting my words to mostly questions and speaking 10% of the time, the team runs with the remaining 90%. And we get better results.”

What’s more important to you: being limited to only the thoughts and ideas in your head – or being unlimited by listening to the thoughts and ideas in the heads of the people around you? Unless you plan on doing all the work, it’s time to build greater engagement in others.

Productivity is a choice. Telling – forcing – our ideas on others squelches engagement and limits solutions. How will you use the ‘10:90 Ratio’ this week to make meetings (and results) more productive?

 

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.