Tag: leadership

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Career

Boss Blind Spot

There seems to be something in the air. Several of my friends are on the job hunt, and they’re at various places on the spectrum of “seeing what’s out there” to “get me the hell out of here before I gouge my own eyes out.” And while their circumstances are all varied in terms of how long they’ve been there, what their next move might be or whether or not they’ve got families to support, they all have one thing in common. They’ve gotten new bosses within the past year and their work lives have become intolerable.

We’ve long known that people don’t leave jobs, but rather, leave bosses. But knowing that and seeing it in practice across organizations and professions is another matter. And while I don’t know the specific details with every situation, I know several of these bosses have lost people before. I also fully understand that I wouldn’t necessarily know if something was being done – corrective action shouldn’t be public, of course – but it’s hard when high turnover is the only piece of the puzzle people see. Employees know which bosses have high turnover. They see who leaves, how long they lasted and they end up usually watching the whole thing happen again before they know it. One of my friends who just left her job was the third person to leave her team in less than a year. And the team is only 5 people to begin with – including the boss that everyone keeps leaving, who has only been there two years himself.

Sure, there are always reasons people leave other than their boss. And people may often share reasons other than their boss because they’re afraid or don’t want to make trouble. But as leaders within our organizations, it’s critical to look at the common denominators. Other employees certainly will be, and if they’re even perceiving the boss as that main common denominator, it may be time to check your own blind spots.

Categories
Career Libby

Being Bossy

I’ve been reflecting on what it takes to be a good boss. First of all, I know it’s not easy, but it’s probably the most important component of any successful and satisfying career or professional experience. Ask someone about a negative experience with a job and chances are good you’ll get a lot of emotional reminiscing about a particular boss – the memories are still vivid and can evoke stress even years later. I think we all know a “bad” boss when we experience it, but what are the attributes of a “good” one? Certainly it will vary from person to person, but here are a few that I feel are universal:

  1. They respect you. Respect can be shown in a myriad of ways, but it is the one thing that is critical for a successful professional relationship. As a worker, you must feel like your work product is valued and contributes to the goals of the organization.
  2. They see you as an individual. Everyone is different and a good boss will be able differentiate how to interact with each of their staff in a way that works for that individual. It is an important skill to be able to understand how people are motivated and what is important to them – this is where you can find areas of commonality which can strengthen commitment.
  3. They support your professional development. A supervisor who wants your skills to grow is both a sign of respect and a way of telling you that you are a valued member of the team. Not only does it help them achieve their goals, but it makes it more appealing to stay part of the team for a longer time. Insecurity about seeing someone improve their skills – or even learn something the boss doesn’t know – is not conducive to building relationships.
  4. They trust you. Trust is a tricky thing – it has to be earned, but there have to be opportunities given in order for people to show they’re trustworthy…tough! But this is a foundational piece to working with someone, and therefore important to cultivate. In this case, perception is just as important reality.
  5. They listen to you. A professional relationship is not a one-way street. It is critical that a supervisor can listen to, seek out and value your ideas and opinions. If you don’t feel like your views are important, what’s the point?

When you have a truly respectful relationship where both parties feel smart, valued and equitable, the results can be amazing – work can actually be fun! It is important for supervisors to feel secure and to take the time to get to know their staff. When they can model good practices, find out what’s important to you and to be honest, the relationship can grow over time and reap benefits for both parties.

– Libby Bingham

Categories
Ashley Career

Bossy

My husband and I were walking through Old Town Alexandria recently and our conversation veered towards work. Out of nowhere he says, “Isn’t it weird how when men are successful leaders, everyone admires them and talks about how much they respect them, and when women are great leaders, people just think they’re bitches?” (Sorry for using French so early!) Dear husband of mine, it’s not just weird, it’s unfortunate and wrong.

I read Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In a few years ago and, since Nick isn’t a reader, I imparted  as much of Sandberg’s wisdom as I could to him. On our walk, I reminded him about the Lean In movement and the unfortunate “bossy” tag we give women in leadership positions. I asked him how he would describe me and my leadership style. He used words like fiery, intense and “a little bit rage-like…” Whatever that means (though I envisioned a female version of Bernie Sanders). We laughed, and then I got serious. Not exactly what I was hoping to hear from the #1 man in my life.

Oddly enough, earlier that week, someone used some very different, very flattering adjectives to describe me: energetic, upbeat, approachable, and always smiling. Jackpot! …those comments came from a woman. Then, the very next day, another female coworker called me the “team mom.” I can hardly tell that story without choking on the words. I can’t win.

My husband is a wonderful man and great husband. He’s always proud of me, encourages me, isn’t afraid of my need for the spotlight, and he believes in me. He cheers me on to success and dares me to continuously do more, and do better. I adore that about him. But when he started describing my leadership style, I wondered if my husband, my biggest cheerleader, is using these descriptors, do other men view me that way?

Recently, after some recurring and tense interactions, my (male) boss confronted me so we could work it out. We calmly worked through the “whys” and addressed how we could work better together. He let something sneak into the conversation that made the recent frustrations on both ends make much more sense…“well, let’s face it, you’ve basically been running the team.” Bingo. It was a compliment, and yet maybe a warning. My leadership skills were too much for him to handle, and were overpowering my boss’ own management style. (Team mom, or faux boss?)

So what’s the deal?! How do I break free from the perceptions and the descriptors, that my male and female counterparts are attributing to my leadership style? I don’t have the answers yet, but I’m making some strong observations and hopefully will start to really stand on my own two feet as a leader. I do know that I’m grateful to be a part of history where the expectations of women have changed and we feel and are a part of real progress. I’m grateful that we can participate in a dialogue around the challenges we still have to overcome…and that we can do it over a glass of wine or bourbon, neat.

– Ashley Respecki

Categories
Career Karen

Make an 80% Decision

The difference between a great decision and a mediocre one is one word: doubt.

I’d rather make a great decision and be 80% successful with 20% room for error, than to second-guess my decision, doubt it and then do 100% n.o.t.h.i.n.g!

I’m someone who will default to performing at 80%. The advantage? Things get done. Not perfectly, but they get done.

In school, when children bring home a straight A’s report card they sometimes are rewarded with gifts and money and other fun things. However, when you come home with a straight B (minuses!) report card, I’m pretty sure there’s no bicycle in the driveway waiting for you.

But here’s the thing: I’d rather perform with B’s and get things done. The bicycle can wait.

Why? Because there’s no such thing as perfect. If I adopt that mindset, my stress levels will be through the roof.

I’m comfortable with an ‘almost perfect’ outcome.

For example, my company is being built on 80%. If I didn’t have this philosophy, I’d still be in Vancouver in a senior leadership role for a luxury footwear company working a 9-5 job. Well, actually, more like a 60-hour a week job.

Taking a leap of faith is like committing to doing something at 80%. The remaining 20% is the cushion, the room for error, the room for growth and, best of all, room for the “aha!” moments which arrive at my doorstep unannounced. The 20% buffer rocks!

My mistakes don’t define my success. However, they absolutely contribute to my success. My shortcomings, those moments where I find myself thinking “I have no idea what to do” turn into amazing lessons for my personal development.

Yes, in the moment or errors, I’m being stretched wayyyy out of my comfort zone. It’s like I’ve been thrown into a stormy ocean of “what to do ” waves! But I don’t drown. I’ve never drowned. Each time I’m in that “I don’t know what to do” predicament, a life vest of new thinking is thrown my way.

Those 20% flawed moments provoke me to ask this question: “What am I going to do about it?” and “How do I get through this?” They force me to look beyond my limited understanding, to seek out help and ask for insights. I read more, explore more and research more. That 20% flaws create an “uh oh” in me that forces me to think. And when I take time to think, I’m welcoming life to teach me. I am a student. I open myself to knowledge and understanding that far surpasses my limitations.

My 20% mistakes keep me motivated and, in turn, I remain true to my original commitment: “Get it done.”

If one of the principles enveloping my business is, “Karen, you’ll figure it out. You’re 80% ready, go for it. Get it done.” then the 20% room for error plays an essential part and empowers me all the more.

Why are we worried about doing something at 80%? Our reputation? Our ego? Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to function at 100% in our decision-making and in our execution?

Quite frankly, the only way you can do anything at 100% is within a team context. When I was fortunate to lead an incredible team of managers at John Fluevog Shoes, I felt like we were unstoppable energy with limitless possibilities. My 80% contributed to someone else’s 80% and so on and so on. A team of 22 people performing at 80%, well, do the math. The beauty of teamwork and leaning on each other, knowing that I can only get straight A’s if I do it with y.o.u. is unbelievably empowering, life-giving and successful. Together we join our flawed performances, we weave a tapestry of unique fabric and create a masterpiece.

Embrace your 80%. Embrace his 80%. Embrace her 80%. And let’s fill in each other’s gaps.

Don’t be afraid of the 20% errors. It’s only 20%. Life’s too short to be uncertain. Be a great decision maker. Stay the course. Get it done. Learn. Grow. #pressrepeat

– Karen Thrall

*also published on www.karenthrall.com

 

Categories
Career

Bad Behavior Isn’t Good Performance

A recent Washington Post article, Beware the rule-following co-worker, Harvard study warns, points out four signs of a toxic employee. Three of the four weren’t necessarily surprising, but it’s the fourth that really caught my attention.

Simply put, the study found that toxic employees tended to be more selfish and over-confident than their non-toxic colleagues, which is no big surprise. The third finding was that toxic employees tend to follow the rules more strictly, sometimes to the detriment of providing good service, or embracing the rules that keep them at the top of the pyramid. And while that’s interesting and perhaps counterintuitive, the finding that really got me is that toxic employees tend to more productive than the average worker. More!

What I find interesting about the productivity finding is this: that high performance oends up being an excuse for other poor behavior. I think we’ve all encountered such a scenario before. “Sure, Jim can be a pain, but his numbers are great!” It’s beyond frustrating when you’re on the receiving end of Jim’s pain – whether it’s passive-aggressively not responding to you or blatant disrespect, the message you receive is that it’s okay to treat people poorly as long as you’ve got success in another metric. And that’s how we end up with toxic employees who are more productive – not only do we allow it, but we often reward it, especially when that productivity means more profit.

This is the reason we as organization leaders need to integrate values and behaviors into job descriptions and performance expectations. There should be no paradox of good performance trumping poor behavior – good performance must include good behavior. They absolutely can’t be separated if you want your organization to be successful. They’re never easy conversations, but addressing the toxic behavior will not only help your other employees, it will save you money. Harvard says so!

 

 

Categories
Career Karen

Enabling in the Workplace

In my last post I shared my personal reflections and experience surrounding the topic of enabling.

Let’s translate this hurdle of enabling into the workplace. What does it look like when someone begins to enable?

I want you to fill in the blanks before you continue reading. Humor me, pretend you’re an enabler. How would you answer these 9 statements?

  1.  If I don’t show support, the person will think I’m _______________.
  2. If I don’t show understanding, the person will think I’m ________________.
  3. If I complain, the person will think I’m ________________.
  4. If I get upset, the person will think I’m ___________________.
  5. If I express my honest thoughts, the person will think I’m ______________.
  6. If I feel hurt, the person will think I’m _________________.
  7. If I say no, the person will think I’m ___________________.
  8. If I don’t agree, the person might _________________.
  9. If I don’t agree, the person could _________________.

Unlike popular thinking, it’s not “yes people” that move up the corporate ladder. They will move up, but only at the mercy of a pecking order.

“If I dot all my I’s and cross all my T’s, they’ll choose me.”

Nope.

“If I show support and agreement to my direct supervisor, they will endorse me in my career within the organization.”

Not necessarily.

Only you can move up the ladder. No one can take you there but yourself.

The primary trait that will move you up in your career is a genuine confidence in who you are and your capabilities. That’s what leaders look for.

Confident people are great listeners and engage with fellow stakeholders. They’re team players and forward thinkers who are considerate and inclusive.

Confident people aren’t afraid of stating their thoughts and expressing their opinions because their ultimate desire is to build a great future with a great team.

When we enable, we are acknowledging that we are not confident.

You now have a second chance to answer the above questions. This time, answer them with confidence, with intelligence, with experience and with expertise.

When we respond from a place of confidence, we interpret events, circumstances, environments, conversations and people from a healthier perspective. (Notice how different the above statements are interpreted in the list below.)

  1. If I say what I think and express my honest thoughts, I’m showing my team commitment because _______________.
  2. If I ask for clarity because I lack understanding, I’m showing my team commitment because _______________.
  3. If I’m dissatisfied with the outcome and express my complaint, I’m showing my team commitment because _______________.
  4. If I’m displeased with the outcome and I’m troubled, I’m showing the team my commitment because ___________________.
  5. If I’m disappointed in the team’s unity and express my discouragement, I’m showing the team my commitment because _________________.
  6. If I say no, I’m showing the team my commitment because ___________________.
  7. If I don’t agree, the person will know that _________________.
  8. If I don’t agree, the person could respond with _________________.

Enabling is responding with fear.

Confidence is responding from your true identity. And in your true identity, there is no need for fear.

It’s one thing to accommodate and remain flexible because you want to be. Being flexible is an attribute of team playing. Being accommodating can have a great impact when it’s offered from a place of fearless confidence.

However, it’s considered enabling if you accommodate and remain flexible because you’re afraid of what people will think or you’re afraid the outcome will have a negative impact on you.

What replaces the brokenness of enablement? The valor of confidence.

– Karen Thrall

* also published on www.karenthrall.com

 

 

Categories
Ashley Career

Podcasts, Teamwork, & “Kaizen”

I’ve been totally into podcasts recently. We did a lot of travel this summer, including three weeks in Europe, and we even nerded-out to the point of using Rick Steve’s podcasts as walking guides in the cities we visited. Before our long, late summer trip, we spent 12 hours in the car to drop our sweet pup off with my parents, and opted for some great episodes of This American Life for the journey. One episode from earlier this year on NUMMI, a joint venture car plant in California that was Toyota’s first on-the-ground project in the U.S., immediately appealed to my husband because of his Michigan and GM family roots.

I expected to be clued in/interested in the NUMMI episode, but I didn’t expect to take away such a major lesson on organizational change. I recommend you go listen, but here’s the jist. In the early 1980’s, Toyota was looking for a U.S. project that would allow them to take advantage of U.S. tax incentives and help them better understand American production and business. GM had a failing plant in Freemont, California, with a cranky, dysfunctional, union workforce, so they put the Freemont plant on the table for the Toyota deal. Since the Japanese were going to run this plant, and they had no desire to perpetuate the American union model, GM decided to fire all the union plant employees. Crazy thing is, for the partnership, they proceeded to hire back about 80% of the former plant team, and shipped them over to Japan to train on the Toyota production line alongside their Japanese peers.

The Toyota business model was so foreign to the American workers – for starters, the Toyota crew believes in 100% teamwork. That means your colleague cares just as much about completing a task or project as you do, regardless of their management level, and will stop their work to lend a hand and complete the goal. On the GM line, there’s one thing you never do: stop the production line. Union workers let imperfect cars go all the way through production on the GM line, never pulling the stop chord; but the Japanese let anyone stop the line if it meant finding a solution. Together, they’d find a solution and get the line back up and running. This was Toyota’s secret to high quality cars, something GM definitely wasn’t known for at the time.

The partnership was brilliant and Nummi was a huge success. The joint venture played out well for Toyota as they entered the U.S. market. Looking back, experts say GM couldn’t implement the lessons they learned from the joint venture company-wide, for a variety of reason. Toyota’s willingness to let them in on their production secrets and emphasis on teamwork was huge, but GM was missing a key ingredient of Toyota’s philosophy for success. Toyota strongly believes in the Japanese practice of kaizen, or continuous improvement. Any Toyota employee is encouraged to look for ways to improve their product and process, even if it means pointing out a flaw in the production line, recommending a solution that could save 10 seconds per car, or coming up with an idea for a new tool to fit those bolts just right…anything you could imagine. And Toyota would take those ideas for improvement, explore them with engineers or whomever needed to be involved, and implement them as soon as possible. Wahlah! Continuous improvement.

Anyway, you get it: GM went bankrupt, the top quality car makers in the world are now Japanese, and I don’t know about you, but I’ve yet to see an American company that practices kaizen at all levels of management.

Have you heard any great case studies on organizational change, good or bad, successful or not? Better yet, please tell me you have some podcasts to recommend!

– Ashley Respecki

Categories
Awesomeness in the World Karen

What are Your Non-Negotiables?

I’ve been thinking about my line of work and what makes me so unbelievably passionate about what I do. As I reflect, there are four non-negotiables that are important to me when working with teams, leaders and organizations. I’d like to share them with you.

  1. PEOPLE: People Matter. Right now, right here, you and/or your team are all that matter to me. I listen: intently. I’m captivated by every word you say. Your words, how you think, how you process, how you strategize, how you lead – it all matters. And I have all the time in the world for you. When I went through therapy several years ago, we were limited on time. The last 10 minutes of the counseling session I’d begin to shut off. I was aware that we were coming to the end. People need time.
  2. HEART: The heart of your business/organization/leadership matters. It was passion that started you on your path. You were full of vision, enthusiasm, confidence, hope, determination, tenacity, and courage. It’s important that this never be compromised; that the richest qualities you and/or your team possess remain strong and unwavering. It is humans that are leading organizations. It is humans that are living their lives. It is humans to whom I am committed.
  3. UNDER-PROMISE: My on-going commitment is to under-promise. I often ask myself, “what would I want?” This is an important question because it keeps the focus on your success. By keeping this question in the forefront of my mind, my hope is that I will deliver outcomes that exceed your expectations.
  4. AVAILABLE: At any time, we’ll explore whatever potential worries, stresses and uncertainties that may arise that could thwart your progress. At any time, I will be your sounding board and help you process any hurdles you may come across so you can resolve issues and frustrations quickly. At any time, I will facilitate any brainstorming or strategic thinking that you require. At any time, I am available to help formulate tasks and timelines to make sure the ball keeps rolling. At any time, I will coach your processes so that they’re executed exactly the way you want it; the way you like it; and the way you need it. At any time, I will help resolve unsettledness, conflict or misunderstandings. At any time, I am here for you. Period. I will support you…. at any time.

What are your non-negotiables? What is the contribution you bring to your work that is vital to the team’s success? Where do you shine? What matters to you? Which or your skills have you invested in? What are your work principles? Why are you valuable?

– Karen Thrall

*also published on www.karenthrall.com

Categories
Career Karen

Receive the Truth About Your Business

So, you’re in leadership. You have weighty responsibilities. People look to you for solutions and successful outcomes. Currently, you’re somewhat concerned. You’re looking at the outgoing and incoming dollars, and you’re not sure about the best plan to execute. What’s next? How do you make sure this next phase is more successful than the previous two years?

Before making any more decisions, receive the truth about your business.

Galileo once said, “All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.”

Stick to what you know is true. Don’t waiver. If your business is going through some challenges, it might be time for you to rediscover the truth about your business.

I remember a story that John Fluevog shared with me.  It was in the late 90’s and he was in the throws of big business changes. One day the light went on: “Focus on what I know to be true. I know how to design great shoes.”  By focusing on the facts and truth of his business, he then exploded into big success. At that point, he went from a small local business to an internationally known luxury footwear company. What is the truth about your business? Put your energy there.

John Fluevog also shared with me, “I picked the one thing I knew how to do and let all else go, especially the things I could not change. I focused on the one thing that made the business stand out. I did not follow a trend. I opened myself up and had the boldness to do the things that came to me or, another way to put it, I followed my heart. I lost the fear of following trends and trusted my heart. The product I did then, 15 years ago, saved my company. It was way out of step with the current trends but it gave the company a strong identity and it is still selling today. It has to be said that the style was also not accepted by mainstream fashion and remained a cult item. Which was and still is perfect for my company.  By letting go of what the rest of the fashion industry did, I saved my company.  I let go of fear and followed my inward voice.” 

Discovering the truth of your organization will make it easier for you, your team and your customers to understand why they want to sign up! What do I mean by receive the truth? First, by receiving the truth for yourself, you’ll be able to effortlessly give the truth away. For example, I can only exhale breath if I first inhale it. I can only give an apple, if I have one in my hand. I can only sell a great product, if I unwaveringly know I have a great product. I can only share the truth of my extraordinary business, by first confidently believing it is truly extraordinary. Do you know why you’re extraordinary? What do you know to be true? Receive the truth first, and then share it.

By the way, Galileo is esteemed as one of the greatest scientists of all time.  Might be a good idea if we pay attention to what he said.

– Karen Thrall

*also posted on www.karenthrall.com

Categories
Karen On the Job

Human Engagement is Good Business

Karen - EngagementI’m concerned.

I strongly believe businesses that provide any type of service need to be continually trained on how to interact with humans.

Providing extraordinary service and excellent human engagement is electric! It’s contagious. It’s vibrant. Why are companies compromising this business principle?

You don’t want people to respond negatively to your company. Trust me. That is baaaaaaad for biz’niz.

Do you know why companies are missing the mark? They don’t think Human Engagement is a topic that requires training throughout the entire organization.

I was fortunate to participate in a customer service training program from one of the world’s finest service industries: The Disney Institute. There’s a reason they’re larger than life. If your company is bringing in billions, well then, stop reading this post right now and go eat some pizza and have a latte.

The Disney Company is determined to exceed your expectations at all times. This is good. Very good. More than good. Outstanding. A non-negotiable and the only way to be. Adopt this approach and you will see growth.

Here’s the famous question that many companies are addressing: Why is revenue down?

  1. Check out the inner-workings of your company – not the peripheral! See it as a rock thrown into water. The place it lands has the greatest impact; from there the ripple effects extend. Start where the rock lands. How extraordinary is your internal infrastructure? Does it exceed the expectations of your employees? If not, then you have a problem.
  2. The problem is not ‘out there.’ We are too quick to critique our “field workers” – our lovely comrades who are interacting with the external realms that draw in new and fresh business. They are not the problem. I repeat: they are NOT the problem. If you start with the customer’s wallet, then you will not succeed. Whether the external customers choose your company or not is not the problem. That is merely the symptom. The root problem starts in the internal infrastructure. In other words, the problem begins with the DNA. Get the DNA back on track, and you’ll get the ripple effect you desire.
  3. Train how people serve within your company. How do you enhance human engagement? Train. Re-train. Train again. Train some more. Train, equip, and train, train, train. Where do you start? Ask for help!

The good news? It’s a small fixable problem that produces a big impact. Human Engagement rocks! (no pun intended.)

– Karen Thrall

*also published on www.karenthrall.com