by D. Kevin Berchelmann | Jun 3, 2015 | Executive Improvement
What Does Leadership Feel Like?
Probably too many attempts have been made to define leadership.
Everyone seems to have their own favorite definition. More often than not, it comes down to “I know it when I see it.”
So instead of struggling to identify good leadership behaviors, try looking at the leaders you’ve known through a different lens. Ask yourself, “What did their leadership feel like?”
We follow leaders because they make us want to, not because we have to. (more…)
by D. Kevin Berchelmann | Jun 2, 2015 | Brazen Leader, Executive Improvement, Kevin Berchelmann, Organizational Effectiveness
A couple of my writings — one, the blog post below about fairness, equity and equality, and one of the articles in my recent newsletter, on employee engagement — bear some additional explanation, lest someone believe I feel that these ideas have no utility whatsoever…
First, regarding fairness. Organizations (and their leaders) that manage to the “lowest common denominator” will forever be relegated to mediocrity; you cannot create & retain talented performers in the face of “identical treatment for all,” nor can you survive frequent, necessary change efforts within that self-limiting process.
Further, I’m not certain that managing with “fairness” is the do-all, end-all for a manager. Effectiveness, yes; reasonably equitable treatment, yes; even reasonably consistent, yes. But fairness is an individualized concept that changes meaning with each employee. Trying to constantly pursue that would drive even the best manager crazy. Better to spend that effort ensuring that each employee is treated according to their value to the organization.
And to those who may feel that sometimes we must treat everyone the same, because a manager(s) doesn’t know how to do it correctly, either develop that manager effectively (and quickly), or hasten their departure. Anytime an organization feels it must spend significant time, effort and resources “guarding against” the actions or activity of any manager, that’s a leadership issue from the top.
Equity is a necessity for a business to succeed significantly. Strive for that; if a manager is incapable, that shouldn’t justify more “equal” treatment for all — it should justify whacking that manager.
Now, about employee engagement. I didn’t say it was necessarily a bad thing, nor is it necessarily anything significant. It is not, however, what should drive our efforts.
We aim to create a workforce that is productive and efficient; engagement, as defined by many, could certainly be a pleasant by-product of that higher performance, but it’s not the end goal. Nor, unfortunately, does employee engagement — in and of itself — create a high-performing workforce. It could certainly be a milestone along the path to high performance, but alas, will not assure superior performance by itself.
Let’s stay focused on the real direction, and not get distracted by today’s management fads.
by D. Kevin Berchelmann | May 25, 2015 | Brazen Leader, Executive Improvement
The story you’re about to read is true. The names have
been changed to protect the innocent. Ok, you may not be old enough for that
line to make sense (Dragnet), so I’ll stop. Plus, these people weren’t
“innocent.” Further, I’m not changing the names, I’m simply omitting
the company name, and only because a client suggested I do so.
Moving on…
So, I was in Cedar Rapids, Iowa a while back working with
one of my largest clients–Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). I’d just spent the
last two days facilitating multiple half-day sessions with three separate
groups of up-and-coming leaders and was relaxing before dinner.
Sitting in the hotel’s lobby lounge, I couldn’t help but
overhear a fairly rowdy bunch next to me. They clearly worked together, or at
least for the same company, and were having quite a time. Several were
discussing where they would go to “continue the party” that evening.
Though I didn’t hear the initial exchange, apparently one
of the crew questioned the wisdom of a traveling party, since they all had to
get up a bit early the next day.
“We’re at management training this week — how awake
do we have to be??”
I kid you not, that’s the response that came from one of
the women in this group. At about nine kazillion decibels, lest someone in the
adjoining hotel couldn’t hear.
Obviously, this got my attention.
It was only then that I noticed the three-inch blue and
white binders sitting next to most of them. “Foundations of
Leadership” was embossed on the front; the name and logo of this large
defense contractor would be familiar to all reading this. Particularly since
there aren’t many of those in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Apparently, not all of those revelers understood the
general concept of “Foundations of Leadership.”
Now we’ve all been bored stiff at one time or another by
a sleep-inducing, monotone-voiced facilitator or trainer (no one in my
sessions, of course — merely speaking hypothetically), droning on about one
thing or another for three or four consecutive butt-numbing days. That’s not
the point here. The points are:
- Leadership development is crucial for long-term
success of an organization. We must convey that those participating are there
for a reason. And that reason is not to reach consensus on the next bar
location. Having a good time is ok, maybe even encouraged (hey, I like a good
time); making learning adjunct to the party is not.
- The investment for leadership development is
substantial. Facilitators, facilities, materials, salaries… then add in loss
of productivity while in session and related costs. Save it for those who take
leadership — and their professional development — seriously.
- But my final point is this:The most important thing
we can do with emerging leaders is to develop them for the future.Not all, of
course, are worthy of the mantle, nor the cost of such development. Realizing
the importance of development must start with senior leadership, and we need to
get better at it.
If we take it seriously, and show its significance to the
organization, so will others. That whole “leading by positive
example” thing. Maybe then our emerging managers won’t use
“Foundations of Leadership” as an insomnia cure.
I’ll sleep to that.
But that’s just me…
by D. Kevin Berchelmann | Apr 27, 2015 | Brazen Leader, Executive Improvement
In this and 2 remaining blog entries, I’m expanding on the “5 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” I outlined in a recent article.
This third law is a reminder that development is essential for employee growth, and for your own well-being. In other words, it’s both selfish and generous; making someone else smarter while you do less work. This is a good thing, eh?
Law #3. If you always answer employee’s every question, you’ll forever be answering employees’ every question.
Questions are teaching moments–don’t rob employees of the opportunity.
Sounds trite, and I don’t mean it to (ok, maybe I mean it to be a little trite). If an employee is asking because they’re stupid, get rid of the employee. If they are a decent employee asking because they do not know, then teach them.
Next time, they’ll know how to do it — or at least the thought process behind it — and you won’t have to. How’s that for planned efficiency??
Now, you have time to go do something important. And to answer in advance: No, answering every employee’s every question is not something important you should be doing. If you’re doing that, you may as well just do it yourself…
Now that sounds fun, eh?
by Kevin Ross, Managing Consultant | Apr 14, 2015 | Executive Improvement, U Have the Stick
Admit nothing, deny everything, and make counter-accusations (not!)
I didn’t see much press uproar last month after Southwest Airlines grounded nearly a quarter of their fleet because they hadn’t conducted required inspections on a backup system, resulting in over a hundred cancelled flights.
I wondered why it didn’t reach the media screech most companies get for public safety compromises (think GM’s ignition and Nissan’s break switch lawsuits). Could it be because they caught it themselves, admitted fault to the appropriate oversight, presented a plan to fix it and then did?
I won’t get started on my disdain for mainstream media, but would it be too absurd for me to believe Southwest actually handled this correctly, and so there wasn’t much chum in the water to feed the media?
Let’s assume that’s the case. Is that how your organization admit mistakes? Or does it?
I’ve got the stick for a minute.
Early in my Air Force career, I was a squadron Safety Officer (an additional duty, which shows the priority leadership put on it). It was one of those thankless jobs, but one that required unquestioned integrity to be effective.
During my tenure, a boat we were carrying on our airplane vented fuel into the cargo compartment right after takeoff, which required an emergency return to the airfield. No doubt our fault, since we believed (but didn’t confirm) that the boat’s tanks were empty. I properly reported the incident to higher headquarters – and was thoroughly wire-brushed by the commander for admitting our mistake.
But we fixed our processes as a result, and it didn’t happen again.
It can be hard to admit mistakes, especially as a leader. But nothing cements the trust a leader has with followers like saying, “I made a mistake; here’s what I’m going to do to make it right.”
The alternative is the equivocation and “conflation of events” that we keep hearing about in the media, usually resulting in a scab that keeps getting picked. Or, worse yet, we don’t hear about the cover-up until it threatens the very success of the company.
It’s really not that complicated to admit a mistake, but there seems to be a palpable resistance in many organizations to do it. After some very unscientific research, I turned up nearly a zillion versions of How to Make the Perfect Apology. I’ve summarized them for you:
1. Act quickly.
2. Don’t cover it up.
3. Own the mistake.
4. Take the necessary steps to make it right.
It’s that simple, and my hat’s off to Southwest for getting it right this time.
What about your organization? Do you have a culture that encourages people to admit mistakes, or hide them?
It’s up to you, leaders.
You have the stick.
by D. Kevin Berchelmann | Mar 28, 2015 | Brazen Leader, Executive Improvement, Human Resources, Kevin Berchelmann, Organizational Effectiveness
I recently surveyed about 35 chief executives (CEO & COO), who nearly unanimously considered Talent Management, as I describe it below, as their number one priority on a go-forward basis.
Think about it: Not market share, pricing demands, or even concerns over recent burdensome legislation. Talent Management.
So, no real news there, right? After all, unless you’ve been living on Pluto (I like picking on the new “non”-planet), we’ve only read about this “talent management” thing for about 2-3 years, in every conceivable business publication.
No new news… Big deal, eh?
Actually, it is a big deal, because I’m not at all certain we actually get it yet. In other words, if — just for the sake of argument — we agree that talent management is so all-fired important, what exactly are we doing about it? Have we got the execution figured out? If we do, I haven’t seen it.
Talent Management is simple. I know I say that a lot, about a lot of things, but really… it’s simple. It takes 3 things:
1. Recruitment. This, of course, involves determining competencies and qualifications, effective sourcing, and successful hiring/employment.
2. Development. If we find an “A” player, let’s keep him or her and use them in the role they can best help the organization succeed. That may or may not be what they do today. And don’t forget about future skill development (management, leadership, executive). Important.
3. Retention. Damn… it seems like it costs a small fortune to recruit and hire solid talent today — lots of resources come to bear on a single focus. It’s a shame that we don’t continue some of that effort to purposefull retain; retention includes a modicum of motivation, which makes these employees even more productive. Effective retention, then, becomes a “two-fer;” the same efforts that effectively retain also tend to motivate good performers to higher levels of performance and productivity. A bargain at twice the price.
So, talent management is an all-hands-on-deck exercise. To be effective, we need solid human resources guidance and resource management, general management’s sincere participation, and direct involvement by the CEO and other senior-most leaders.
It’s just too important to be entrusted to anything less.
