"Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others." - Jack Welch
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Thursday's thought
"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
Judgment
One of the ways by which your boss measures you, whether he’s told you or not, is how you exercise good judgment. This holds true regardless of your position within your organization. Your ability to make sound decisions based on available information, and more importantly your choice to act on the best decision, says a lot about you. Demonstrating that you can figure out a solid plan speaks well of your intellect; carrying through with it can reveal much about your character as well.
The best way to develop a good sense of judgment, in my humble opinion, is through experience. It’s easy to make plans and test them on paper, but until you find yourself in a real world scenario you can’t know 100% how everything is going to work out or even how you yourself are going to react to everything happening around you. There’s nothing wrong with being intelligent or possessing natural talent for whatever it is you’re doing, and a dose of common sense doesn’t hurt either. But there’s a reason why people respect the opinions of tested veterans, whether in the boardroom or the war room.
Good judgment is something that is not developed overnight; wisdom and understanding come from having “been there and done that.” You also need to make mistakes, and your supervisor needs to let you make them. Hopefully you can avoid negligent mistakes that get people hurt or cost a lot of money, but you and your boss both should not expect you to be perfect every time.
Your judgment is something that you can improve and hone like any habit. Start by simply thinking things through! Be aware of how others will perceive your words and actions. Don’t shy away from risk, but try really hard to figure out the potential safety, financial, or social consequences of your actions before you move on them.
I don’t know the safety and financial risks associated with your particular work environment, but I have some suggestions for mitigating social risks. When all else fails, remember these: Don’t do something in public you wouldn’t want your parents to see, don’t send a text message you wouldn’t let your significant other read; don’t say anything at work you wouldn’t say in front of your boss; in short, don’t manufacture drama in the workplace. From the stories I’ve heard, these should keep you out of most trouble!
I’ll leave you with an example of a time I personally exercised poor judgment -- and it ended up costing me my job. In the late winter of 2001, I was employed in retail and worked a night shift. Back then I was living in the mountains near Lake Tahoe and thought I would kill some time before work by going four-wheeling in the snow. With proper planning (and preferably the buddy system), you can avoid most catastrophes, but you can’t predict everything. Someone had knocked over a signpost and it was buried in the snow. When I ran over the ripped-off tip of the signpost in my Jeep, it shredded my tire.
Stupidly, I did not have the proper tools to change my tire with me. I managed to make it back to a payphone, since back then cell service was spotty in the mountains. It was several hours before I could call for help, get my tire removed and my spare put on, and get back to town. I’d missed the start of my shift by several hours, and being a no-show was a big no-no! The next day, my boss made it very clear that not showing up for work was unacceptable. One could argue that what happened wasn’t necessarily my fault, but if I’d used better judgment at any point in the situation, I could probably have avoided losing my job.
I should have realized that four-wheeling in the snow wasn’t a great idea just a few hours before work; I should have had the proper tools to remove my tire; perhaps I even should have left my Jeep overnight and gotten a ride to work from someone else so that I wouldn’t miss my shift. If I’d thought things through before taking action, I wouldn’t have had to learn that bitter lesson the hard way. On the plus side, no one was hurt, and I like to believe that I’m a little wiser for the experience and think things through more carefully now. Most of the time.
What tips do you have for developing a better sense of judgment? Ever learned a lesson the hard way and feel like sharing your new wisdom? Please feel free to contribute to the discussion in the comments section! If you’ve enjoyed spending a few minutes reading “The Boss Perspective,” subscribe and share this site with your friends, Like me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @BossPerspective.
The best way to develop a good sense of judgment, in my humble opinion, is through experience. It’s easy to make plans and test them on paper, but until you find yourself in a real world scenario you can’t know 100% how everything is going to work out or even how you yourself are going to react to everything happening around you. There’s nothing wrong with being intelligent or possessing natural talent for whatever it is you’re doing, and a dose of common sense doesn’t hurt either. But there’s a reason why people respect the opinions of tested veterans, whether in the boardroom or the war room.
Good judgment is something that is not developed overnight; wisdom and understanding come from having “been there and done that.” You also need to make mistakes, and your supervisor needs to let you make them. Hopefully you can avoid negligent mistakes that get people hurt or cost a lot of money, but you and your boss both should not expect you to be perfect every time.
Your judgment is something that you can improve and hone like any habit. Start by simply thinking things through! Be aware of how others will perceive your words and actions. Don’t shy away from risk, but try really hard to figure out the potential safety, financial, or social consequences of your actions before you move on them.
I don’t know the safety and financial risks associated with your particular work environment, but I have some suggestions for mitigating social risks. When all else fails, remember these: Don’t do something in public you wouldn’t want your parents to see, don’t send a text message you wouldn’t let your significant other read; don’t say anything at work you wouldn’t say in front of your boss; in short, don’t manufacture drama in the workplace. From the stories I’ve heard, these should keep you out of most trouble!
I’ll leave you with an example of a time I personally exercised poor judgment -- and it ended up costing me my job. In the late winter of 2001, I was employed in retail and worked a night shift. Back then I was living in the mountains near Lake Tahoe and thought I would kill some time before work by going four-wheeling in the snow. With proper planning (and preferably the buddy system), you can avoid most catastrophes, but you can’t predict everything. Someone had knocked over a signpost and it was buried in the snow. When I ran over the ripped-off tip of the signpost in my Jeep, it shredded my tire.
Stupidly, I did not have the proper tools to change my tire with me. I managed to make it back to a payphone, since back then cell service was spotty in the mountains. It was several hours before I could call for help, get my tire removed and my spare put on, and get back to town. I’d missed the start of my shift by several hours, and being a no-show was a big no-no! The next day, my boss made it very clear that not showing up for work was unacceptable. One could argue that what happened wasn’t necessarily my fault, but if I’d used better judgment at any point in the situation, I could probably have avoided losing my job.
I should have realized that four-wheeling in the snow wasn’t a great idea just a few hours before work; I should have had the proper tools to remove my tire; perhaps I even should have left my Jeep overnight and gotten a ride to work from someone else so that I wouldn’t miss my shift. If I’d thought things through before taking action, I wouldn’t have had to learn that bitter lesson the hard way. On the plus side, no one was hurt, and I like to believe that I’m a little wiser for the experience and think things through more carefully now. Most of the time.
What tips do you have for developing a better sense of judgment? Ever learned a lesson the hard way and feel like sharing your new wisdom? Please feel free to contribute to the discussion in the comments section! If you’ve enjoyed spending a few minutes reading “The Boss Perspective,” subscribe and share this site with your friends, Like me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @BossPerspective.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Thursday's thought
“Your leadership depends on you. You can only be a great leader when you can lead yourself well first.”
- Richard Norris
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Lunch break link
I often remind newer managers how important it is to take initiative and constantly seek to improve their environment, team or performance. In this article from Leading with Trust shared on LinkedIn by one of my mentors, the author poses an odd but accurate question using Thermometers and Thermostats as metaphors for leadership:
“Thermostat leaders, however, constantly have a pulse on the morale, productivity, stress level, and environmental conditions of their team. When the temperature gets hot because the team is under pressure of a heavy workload, resources are scarce, or pending deadlines are causing stress, they cool things off by acting as the calming influence with the team. They take time to listen to the concerns of their team members and provide the necessary direction and support that’s needed to help the team achieve its goals. Thermostat leaders also alleviate pressure on their team by mixing in some lighthearted fun at opportune times.”
He goes on to explain what’s basically the difference between being proactive or reactive with respect to influence on your team. Are you setting the tone and driving the climate in your department or organization? Or are you just reflecting the current atmosphere?
He goes on to explain what’s basically the difference between being proactive or reactive with respect to influence on your team. Are you setting the tone and driving the climate in your department or organization? Or are you just reflecting the current atmosphere?
Please feel free to contribute to the discussion in the comments section! If you’ve enjoyed spending a few minutes reading “The Boss Perspective,” subscribe and share this site with your friends, Like me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @BossPerspective.
Friday, June 21, 2013
A reader with a difficult employee
This week I've got another real-world topic to discuss that’s not pulled directly from my own experience. One of my readers (I’ll call him Kevin) has asked for some suggestions for handling an employee he supervises. To give a little bit of background, Kevin is somewhat new to the management group in his organization, although it isn't the first leadership position he’s held. He’s been with his current company for a while now and had a chance to show off his technical expertise and organizational skills.
After demonstrating an ability to positively influence the performance of other employees, his role has evolved to include directing their activities. One of those employees has been frustrating him, though. Kevin writes that one of the junior employees in his department, who I’ll refer to as John, has a tendency to get extremely defensive in the face of perceived criticism from Kevin and other managers, even when it’s in the form of constructive feedback.
Kevin will observe John doing something he knows is not the best use of time or most effective way to perform, a task and John doesn't respond well. He insists with alarm that he didn't know any better, and will point to other employees as having dropped the ball or taught him how to do things incorrectly. John also sometimes continues to insist that what he’s currently working on is more important than other tasks that may be asked of him, regardless of whether the other task may be a higher priority.
From what I can see, it sounds like there are two main issues here. One of these is a little bit less complicated, and that is that John might be having difficulty setting priorities. Granted, we could probably all use better decision-making abilities, and I’ll be touching on that in a future article. While we can’t force an individual to develop good habits as far as prioritizing, we can teach them some basic techniques. If you’re not a regular reader, you might not know that I’m a fan of the easiest way of choosing priorities - is it important or not, is it urgent or not - and that method is easy to explain to an employee.
Where this breaks down is at the organizational level. Perhaps John doesn't understand which clients’ projects are the most important to address, or how the hierarchy of his supervisors can help determine whose instructions to follow. It may also be true that John doesn't have visibility on project timelines, and may not know that an email from a smaller client requires a response today while the request from the bigger client can wait until Monday. He may benefit from an explanation of not just how to set priorities, but who and what are important and urgent in his specific department and company.
The second issue is a little bit touchier to address; John does not take feedback well, and he’s about to get feedback on his own personality. Further, he needs to take ownership of his actions and decisions, and not place blame on other employees. These issues are not only relevant now, but may continue to be relevant if John doesn't improve after receiving feedback. Kevin tells me he’s already spoken with John about it, explaining how how his behavior is what’s affecting his interactions with others and distracting from doing his job.
That first meeting went well because Kevin kept it professional and not personal. For a while, John improved and was able to take direction without becoming defensive. After some time passed, however, he reverted to his old ways and once again began to deflect blame and refuse to accept responsibility for his performance. At this point, Kevin needs to keep his message consistent and remind John that he’s lapsing. Kevin and John work for an organization that values professional behavior, and it would help Kevin to explain to John that his behavior doesn't meet the criteria for that.
Kevin should make sure that he has clearly communicated his expectations for John the first time, and again in this next conversation. He will also need to validate that John understands those expectations. This will help ensure that John stops blaming others when Kevin provides constructive feedback. He can no longer say that a job that didn't get done was someone else’s responsibility, or that he didn't understand his duties.
John’s behavior and performance improved for a while, and to keep him from getting down when receiving criticism, Kevin should acknowledge and praise that improvement. If he continues to become defensive and ignore feedback or deflect blame, however, Kevin may eventually need to use a stricter form of performance management. If it comes to that, the same rules apply. Kevin needs to explain clearly and objectively how John’s attitude is negatively impacting his performance, and why any disciplinary measures may be taken at that time.
It’s worth Kevin’s time to try and help John change, and not just because of the good it will do for John. It will not only be less stressful for Kevin to interact with him, but also he may find that his employee is better able to do his job when he’s more focused on the task at hand than the criticism he may receive.
Do you have someone on your team who doesn't respond well to feedback or criticism from their boss? Please feel free to contribute to the discussion in the comments section! If you've enjoyed spending a few minutes reading “The Boss Perspective,” subscribe and share this site with your friends, Like me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @BossPerspective.
After demonstrating an ability to positively influence the performance of other employees, his role has evolved to include directing their activities. One of those employees has been frustrating him, though. Kevin writes that one of the junior employees in his department, who I’ll refer to as John, has a tendency to get extremely defensive in the face of perceived criticism from Kevin and other managers, even when it’s in the form of constructive feedback.
Kevin will observe John doing something he knows is not the best use of time or most effective way to perform, a task and John doesn't respond well. He insists with alarm that he didn't know any better, and will point to other employees as having dropped the ball or taught him how to do things incorrectly. John also sometimes continues to insist that what he’s currently working on is more important than other tasks that may be asked of him, regardless of whether the other task may be a higher priority.
From what I can see, it sounds like there are two main issues here. One of these is a little bit less complicated, and that is that John might be having difficulty setting priorities. Granted, we could probably all use better decision-making abilities, and I’ll be touching on that in a future article. While we can’t force an individual to develop good habits as far as prioritizing, we can teach them some basic techniques. If you’re not a regular reader, you might not know that I’m a fan of the easiest way of choosing priorities - is it important or not, is it urgent or not - and that method is easy to explain to an employee.
Where this breaks down is at the organizational level. Perhaps John doesn't understand which clients’ projects are the most important to address, or how the hierarchy of his supervisors can help determine whose instructions to follow. It may also be true that John doesn't have visibility on project timelines, and may not know that an email from a smaller client requires a response today while the request from the bigger client can wait until Monday. He may benefit from an explanation of not just how to set priorities, but who and what are important and urgent in his specific department and company.
The second issue is a little bit touchier to address; John does not take feedback well, and he’s about to get feedback on his own personality. Further, he needs to take ownership of his actions and decisions, and not place blame on other employees. These issues are not only relevant now, but may continue to be relevant if John doesn't improve after receiving feedback. Kevin tells me he’s already spoken with John about it, explaining how how his behavior is what’s affecting his interactions with others and distracting from doing his job.
That first meeting went well because Kevin kept it professional and not personal. For a while, John improved and was able to take direction without becoming defensive. After some time passed, however, he reverted to his old ways and once again began to deflect blame and refuse to accept responsibility for his performance. At this point, Kevin needs to keep his message consistent and remind John that he’s lapsing. Kevin and John work for an organization that values professional behavior, and it would help Kevin to explain to John that his behavior doesn't meet the criteria for that.
Kevin should make sure that he has clearly communicated his expectations for John the first time, and again in this next conversation. He will also need to validate that John understands those expectations. This will help ensure that John stops blaming others when Kevin provides constructive feedback. He can no longer say that a job that didn't get done was someone else’s responsibility, or that he didn't understand his duties.
John’s behavior and performance improved for a while, and to keep him from getting down when receiving criticism, Kevin should acknowledge and praise that improvement. If he continues to become defensive and ignore feedback or deflect blame, however, Kevin may eventually need to use a stricter form of performance management. If it comes to that, the same rules apply. Kevin needs to explain clearly and objectively how John’s attitude is negatively impacting his performance, and why any disciplinary measures may be taken at that time.
It’s worth Kevin’s time to try and help John change, and not just because of the good it will do for John. It will not only be less stressful for Kevin to interact with him, but also he may find that his employee is better able to do his job when he’s more focused on the task at hand than the criticism he may receive.
Do you have someone on your team who doesn't respond well to feedback or criticism from their boss? Please feel free to contribute to the discussion in the comments section! If you've enjoyed spending a few minutes reading “The Boss Perspective,” subscribe and share this site with your friends, Like me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @BossPerspective.
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