Ends Justify the Means...Do They?

Man, this is tough. I was asked to write about this topic a few weeks ago and I'm just getting around to it. Partially, it's been because I had easier topics and partially, because I'm not sure what to say.

"The ends justify the means". It's a very famous quote. It's also an endless struggle for most of us. Does it matter how we do something that will benefit us, or perhaps many, as long as we get the results desired...the results we want?

I can write a big, long post about the ends justifying the means when it comes to national or international politics, relationships, power, etc. I could cover subjects like right to life, capital punishment, welfare or some other social crises. I'm not going to do that.

There are enough issues relating to to this idea in our everyday lives. What this post will touch on is a bit of the struggle this idea causes when it comes to relationships, leadership, business, and our personal lives.

BEFORE I START: There's a big difference between making tough business decisions and treating other people poorly to help ourselves. I just wanted that to be said.

Do the ends justify the means? YES, they do...sometimes. Then again NO, they don't...sometimes.

Look at these examples and think about when the end might justify the means. Then read the examples again and think about when the end might not justify the means:

Is it OK:
~ to lie in order to make people feel better about themselves?
~ to lie in order to make other people like you better?
~ to lay one person off in order to keep everyone else employed?
~ to cut everybody's pay in order to not lay anyone off?
~ to manipulate a boss to do what you think he or she should be doing because that's the way you think the boss should act?
~ to manipulate a team member into believing an idea was his or hers in order to help them feel more engaged about the idea?

Where do the examples end? They don't. They go on forever.

Here's a little advice:

1. Remember the golden and/or platinum rules:

GOLD: treat others like YOU want to be treated

PLATINUM: treat others like THEY want to be treated (not how you think they should)

2. Applying integrity to situations based on #1.

Other than that, we need to weigh the options/outcomes in any decision, do a cost-benefit analysis, and ensure that whatever decisions we make are not being made for personal reasons or personal gain.

So, do the ends justify the means? I really don't have a clue. I could go either way, depending....

Lonely at the top

Here's another well-known, but very true saying: It's lonely at the top.

While this is a very familiar expression to most of us, it still seems to come as a surprise to many new managers when they move into a supervisory role. What the phrase means to me is that when an unpopular decision has to be made or when the outcome of a project or an activity isn't as good as hoped, the accountability lies with the boss...and no one else.

Like I've mentioned in the past, bosses can pass on responsibility to their team members, but they cannot pass on accountability. It stays with the boss (to read more on accountability v. responsibility click here).

So how do bosses often handle it when they start feeling all alone or singled out or blamed when things don't go right?

1. They tough it out and try to stand tall and straight...all alone. This is lonely, for sure, and a quick way to get burned out. This is not healthy.
2. Bosses sometimes try to share their problems with those in their chain of command, the people they supervise. This is not healthy, either, and can often give the picture of a leader who cannot handle the stress (whether accurate or not).
3. They sometimes try to blame others. While blame is not useful at any time, errant and desperate leaders can try to deflect the heat from themselves onto others. Not only is this unfair, but it is a sign of very immature leadership. This is a quick way for those leaders to get escorted off of the "credibility bus".
4. Smart bosses find a confidant or mentor to share their frustrations with. This person could be a colleague or someone who has no connection the the boss's work at all. A confidant/mentor can help the boss have a safe place to vent and then provide support as the boss figures out how to move forward positively.

What other ways do you know of that bosses use to keep from feeling all alone?

Passive-Aggressives

There are a certain number of people we deal with, whether in our personal or professional lives, who deal with most situations in a passive-aggressive way. There is another segment of the population who occasionally deal with problems in a passive-aggressive way.

What do I mean by this behavior? It's passive resistance or covert obstructionism. It's behavior that consciously on unconsciously fights demands for adequate performance in work or social situations. It can be caused by people feeling they're being judged or by generally fighting authority. It's just not overt, either because the person doesn't feel he or she is free to express feelings or because the person is uncomfortable with confrontation. It can definitely get in the way of progress.

Some examples are:

1. Procrastination
2. Stubbornness
3. Sullenness
4. Inefficiency

We can't escape it. It's present in our teammates, in our employees, in our bosses, and in our families. So, what do we do?

1. First, we respectfully address it with the other individuals. How direct we are depends on the person and our relationship with them (this is tricky with bosses and may never work or even be worth trying to fix when we have no leverage). It's critical that we focus on the behavior, not the self-worth of the individual. It's not the person we are having difficulty with, it's the behavior.
2. We share our perceptions and solicit theirs. We try to understand their viewpoint and hopefully get them to see ours. We have to be willing to suspend our beliefs during the perception-gathering phase.
3. We should think about our potential role in the behavior. Are we being so heavy-handed in the relationship that the only way the person believes he or she can deal with us is to respond in a passive-aggressive way?
4. Once we have shared our thoughts, if the other person agrees that the behavior exists, we should be willing to help them as they try to fight it, perhaps by reminding them when it is occurring. If the person is a direct report at work, we can revisit the behavior as we periodically meet for our 1:1 sessions. We can also support them if they seek professional help to overcome the behavior.
5. If the person cannot see the behavior (and we still believe it exists) or acknowledges it, but is unwilling to make any behavior modifications, then we either need to learn to live with the behavior (only in personal, boss, or peer situations) or take steps to remove the person from our team or from our interactions.
6. The one thing I don't think we can afford to do, especially in a work environment, is overlook the behavior.

Passive-aggressive behavior is totally unproductive. It's our responsibility to wisely work to address the behavior so it will not impede our responsibilities.

How do you deal with passive-aggressive behavior? It is as big a problem as I appear to see it?

Check those personal problems at the door

Personal problems are something that every person has to deal with. Everyone has issues in his or her personal lives that can take up some or all of our free time: kids, relationships, money, health, etc. The rub comes when people start bringing their baggage to work.

For managers, what do you do when your people start bringing their personal problems to work? Your team members are paid to come to work...AND WORK, not sit around whining and complaining about the problems in their lives. They are supposed to focus and be productive. You've seen what it can do to an office or organization:

• Distract from work
• Depress the whole office
• Suck other people into the problems

As bosses, you have every right to expect your folks to focus on their duties while you're paying them. What can you do to keep personal problems from changing the atmosphere at work? You're not a heartless beast who cares nothing for those around you, so what do you do? Some suggestions I've heard are to:

• Set expectations up front (leave your problems at the door)
• Listen (like during 1:1 sessions)
• Help find counseling
• Provide time off, if necessary, to deal with the issues

I have two questions for you:

What other issues are caused by people bringing their personal problems to work?

What ways can bosses help their people while still completing the mission and ensuring customer care doesn't slip?

"No excuse, sir."

I was taught that, when I screwed up or my people screwed up and my boss wanted to know why, I had only one immediate answer: "no excuse, sir". I was accountable for my actions and those of the people under my supervision. I was acknowledging that accountability and making no excuses. Now, in most cases, unless I was just getting a good hard core butt-chewing where no explanation was wanted, I would be given a chance to explain what happened. There are times for explanations and there are times just for acknowledging accountability. There's never a time for excuses.

My point is this: as leaders, we need to stand up and be counted (this kind of goes along with my earlier post "your people"). We need to be mature and confident enough in our abilities and our values, that we don't hesitate to speak up when accountability is sought. Plus, what good are excuses anyway? They just make us look like we don't have a good handle on the situation or our team. They certainly don't move any initiative forward. Hopefully, we've been communicating often enough with our bosses, and both our and their expectations are properly aligned so we aren't even tempted to make excuses.

Is this too hard core an attitude? Is the "no excuse, sir" answer only applicable in an organization like the Army? Is there ever a good reason to make excuses?

Can you trust your people too much?

Wow!?! That's a loaded question. How is it possible to trust someone too much?

I think we might be talking about a couple of different types of trust:

• trust of intention
• trust of work, product, or presentation

I've been blessed to work with a number of individuals whose intentions I'm confident are pure. They constantly do their best for the organization and its customers, for their bosses, and for their teams. I've had no trouble trusting their intentions whatsoever.

The thing is, I have high standards. So do all the groups I mentioned above. The question about trust comes into play when we combine high standards along with imperfect humans. I made the mistake, one time, of trusting the work of a professional on my team. The presentation was due to executives and, because I trusted the intentions of my team member, I also trusted the output. I found out later, from my boss, that the work was substandard. It was very embarrassing. I didn't let this mistake happen again.

My advice would be that you never completely accept your people's work without:

• Thoroughly checking the output until you're confident of what your people produce.
• Periodically check on the people you know will represent you, your boss, and your team well, just to ensure the quality has remained strong. People meet and exceed standards that they are measured against.

Do you think you can trust your people too much? Is there ever a time when checking is no longer necessary, even periodically?

Handling Resistance

Handling Resistance? From whom?

Well, in life, it could mean dealing with resistance from anyone. In a business setting, it could be one of your team members. It could be your boss or a colleague.

If you are trying work down a specific path or build on a idea and you receive resistance, you have several options, don't you?

1. Give up. It is an option, but if you feel strongly or passionately about your cause, it might not be your first course of action.
2. Push back. When resistance is applied against you, you can apply and equal and opposite reaction. Wear the other party down. It may be effective at times, but not the wisest choice of action if you want any kind of buy-in from others.
3. Determine the cause. I like this one. When you are met with resistance regarding an idea or action, you can try to figure out why the resistance has appeared. One of the best ways to find out is by asking questions. Try to get to the root cause.

This reminds of me of a story; yes, another military story. When I was a young lieutenant, I had to take turns performing extra duties with the other junior officers: Duty officer, Pay officer, and Report of Survey officer, to name a few. My first time as a Report of Survey officer, I met with a lot of resistance. You see, a Report of Survey is completed when some equipment is destroyed, damaged, or lost and the Army is trying to figure out if someone is responsible. This way the Army can determine appropriate actions like remedial training, punishment, and/or reimbursement. In this particular case, a sergeant was "signed for" a gunner's quadrant, a tool used to determine the proper elevation that artillery would use when firing against a target. The quadrant was destroyed and no one knew how it happened. There were denials all around. Since the sergeant was signed for the equipment, and there was no evidence as to how the quadrant was destroyed, I determined that the sergeant should pay. The sergeant resisted me because he said he hadn't destroyed it...one of his people had done so accidentally. That was most likely true, but like I said, I couldn't prove it. What I could prove was that the sergeant had not kept proper control of the item. The proximate cause, or root cause, regarding his efforts to secure the equipment was the real issue.

In trying to overcome resistance, what's the root issue, the proximate cause, for it? Ask why the other person doesn't want to go along with your idea. Get specific. Ask what is good about your idea (what they like or, at least, can live with) and what is unacceptable. Keep peeling back that onion until you get to the proximate cause. You may find that it's just one little kernel of disagreement or it's something small that you can fix.

By determining the root cause,

1. You can properly address it with facts and information.
2. Help the other party feel better about the idea
3. Let the person know you value their thoughts and concerns (you may make an ally).
4. Move forward.

My last boss was an expert at determining the proximate cause of resistance, handling the real objections properly, and then moving forward with most everyone feeling good.

What have you done when you encountered resistance? What other ways do you think would be appropriate for overcoming the objections you experience?

Encouraging A "Slacker" Teammate

I was recently asked, "How do you 'bring along' a slacker teammate?" That's a pretty broad question. What is meant by "slacker" -- someone who doesn't do his or her work? In this case, I think the question had to do more with people who are part of work or project teams outside their own normal duties. You've probably experienced it before. You are a member of a team where everyone may not be as engaged as they could be. Some people are pulling their weight and others are just marking time.

The answer is that you definitely DO NOT sweep the problem under the rug and pretend it doesn't exist. Obviously, the work or project team leader should be ensuring all members are doing there fair share. Still, work group team members have both the responsibility and the opportunity to help fellow team members be the best they can be, and in a way that supervisors may not be able to achieve:

Responsibility -- When we are team members, we all have the responsibility to help that team succeed even though being a team member is not part of our normal job duties. It's not just the boss or team leader's responsibility. True professionals look for ways to help the organization and those around them be better.

Opportunity -- Team members are not bosses...duh. Team members are peers and co-workers. We all have different levels of influence and experience. We have "horizontal" relationships that can hopefully allow our thoughts, suggestions, and ideas to be less threatening to others on our team.

Now that we've determined we want to try and help another team member with engagement issues, what do we do? Below are a few possibilities:

• Broach the issue of engagement. Sometimes others are not aware that they are not considered engaged or are willing to put in more effort when they realize their poor efforts are evident.
• Ask questions about how the "errant" team member feels about the work the team is doing. Talk through the feelings. Maybe the team member has negative feelings about the team and what the group is supposed to be accomplishing. Perhaps the team member doesn't understand what he or she is supposed to do.
• Challenge the team member to step up and support the rest of the team, even if being a team member is not something the other person really wants to be. We all do things from time to time that we don't LOVE. It's part of being a contributing member of society, let alone a team member at work.

Are there other ways to help peers become more engaged in work or project teams? Should you go to the team leader about the issues? If so, when should this occur?

Can You Read A P&L Statement?

I'm not kidding. I'm asking a serious question. As a boss, a manager, can you read a Profit and Loss Statement?

You might be wondering why I would ask such a question, but there are plenty of bosses out in the business world who really don't know how to tell if their office, branch, or even department is meeting or exceeding budget...or worse yet, if their team is behind budget.

Businesses are in existence to make money. They need to be able to regularly track revenue against expenditures. Even charity organizations want to ensure the only money leaving the organization is money that they plan to give away.

Let's get back to the managers. I'm not going to judge. Maybe you don't know how to read a P&L because:

• You are a new manager and no one taught you when you got into your job.
• Maybe math is not your strength so you've just avoided the whole idea.
• Maybe you know how, sort of, but it's just not that big a deal to you.

Regardless, you need to figure out how to do it...and fast. Perhaps your current supervisor may not put a lot of emphasis on this part of your duties, but you can't expect that to last forever. So:

• If you feel comfortable, ask your boss. You've got a window of learning for some period of time after you begin leading your office.
• Go to the finance person assigned to your team and request a "class" (chances are that they'll be so thrilled that you want to know that they won't tell anybody).
• Get a fellow manager or your mentor to quietly show you how.

I don't care how you learn this, but just ensure you do. If you can't read a P&L and consequently manage the cash in and out of your group, it will catch up with you sooner or later. Most importantly, how can you help your company grow if you can't measure how your team is doing?

Is the ability to read a Profit and Loss statement as big a deal as I'm making it? Do you know of other reasons a manager may not know how to read a P&L? Do you have suggestions as to the best way to learn other than what I mentioned?

One Reason Ideal Service Often Fails

Well, really, one reason an ideal in any area fails: if we’re not successful right away or shortly after initiating the solution, we often give up and say it doesn’t work.

Let’s get back to service for a minute. I’ve worked with a company that has an outstanding process for providing a world-class customer experience. For this company, it’s the ideal. A lot of research, development, and training have gone into ensuring their customers get the absolute best from the local teams as possible. The problem is often that the staff in these locations doesn’t follow through with how they were trained.

How is that possible? How is it possible that, with all that training and with such a great process, team members aren’t carrying out the ideal?

One of the main reasons I’ve been told is that the process doesn’t work for that particular team or that they tried to make it work, but:

1. “One of the team was on vacation or out sick so it threw everything off.”
2. “The schedule got messed up somehow so we ended up being unprepared for things happening differently than we had practiced.”
3. The list of derailments goes on.

Like I mentioned, once a wrench gets thrown in the works, the staff sometimes jumps to the conclusion that the customer experience process doesn’t work. Well, SNAFUs occur. Things don’t go according to plan. That’s life. Does it mean that if the settings aren’t perfect for the ideal to occur, the ideal isn’t doable anymore? It’s just that the fewer times the staff works to get back to the ideal, the less likely the ideal with ever happen…in any form. Then the teams slide back into mediocrity…for them and their customers.

What can the teams do to ensure they don’t forget the ideal? It comes back to believing. And it comes back to training. And it comes back to measuring. If the teams acknowledge that customer service and the customer experience as defined by their company is the ideal, if they have been trained and measured against that ideal, then they must return to the ideal with every chance they have.

Do you ever see the situation where the ideal gets pitched out by a group because it just isn’t working right now? Have you ever seen “following the ideal” just erode away over time?

10 ways to know you're micromanaging

10. When you realize you're doing all the talking.

9. When your team stops having any initiative because they know you're going to do it your way anyway.

8. When you hear yourself say, "why do I always have to think of everything?"

7. You have to be involved in every meeting, even though your team members are capable.

6. When you do attend that same meeting and finish your team member's sentences for them.

5. All decisions have to come through you no matter how trivial.

4. You regularly say to yourself, "if I want it done right, I'm gonna have to do it myself."

3. If you're too busy to plan because you're so involved in putting out all the fires from today.

2. You never take a vacation because the place will fall apart if you're not around.

1. If you tell your people what you want them to do and then turn around and tell them how to do it, too.

I think most bosses micromanage at one time or another, but the point is to not do it constantly.

Ways to avoid being a micromanager (e.g. you get to feel comfortable about letting your people do their jobs without your constant involvement):

1. Hire the right people and put them in the right positions (Jim Collins: right people on the bus in the right seats)

2. Acknowledge there's more than one way to get things done.

3. Develop your people, give them goals and objectives, and then hold them accountable to the goals and objectives.

4. Focus on your own job because that doesn't go away when you're busy micromanaging your people's work.

Are there any signs of micromanagement not on the 10 above that you want to share and/or do you know of other ways to avoid being a micromanager?

How Do I Know That My People Are Really Working?

Have you ever hear bosses ask this question? I've heard it, but not very often because it's kind of an embarrassing question to ask. Still I think many leaders wonder this. Unless you're standing over your people, micromanaging everything they're doing (please tell me you're not doing that), there's no way you can really know, is there?

Sure, there is.

You set goals and you measure them. Sounds easy, but many leaders want their people to do the work and do it the way the boss would do it. Oh, please! You've heard the phrase, "there's more than one way to skin a cat", right? Well, that's true at work. As long as your folks get the tasks done on time and nothing illegal or immoral took place during the completion of the tasks, you should (within reason) be OK with how they chose to get it done (within reason).

Hence, the main point. Whether your people sit in the same room with you or they're spread all over the world, the answer is the same. Set goals and measure them.

Let's say that you have a project to complete by September 1 so since it's August 4, you have almost a month to get it done. You give Lisa the project as one of her tasks to complete (for the sake of the example, it's a one-person project). What are the steps that you might take to help Lisa successfully complete the project? Hmmm? Well, what are they?

Here are a list of possible steps:

1. Sit down with Lisa and let her know of the project with details and deadline.
2. Ask Lisa her initial thoughts on how to complete the project or brainstorm with her on that if she's willing.
3. Once Lisa has a clear understanding of the requirements and has no questions, send her on her way.

Are you done? No. There is one more step...and this is the one that bosses fail at most often...follow-up.

4. Since I know you'll be meeting with Lisa every week for your 1:1 sessions (because you're such a communicative, proactive boss), you'll be able to review the project with her (along with any other tasks she has) to see how she's doing, offer any guidance you feel needed, answer her questions and ensure she stays on the right track. With this example of a September 1 deadline, you should have 3 times already scheduled where you can follow-up with Lisa (add more meetings if you need to, but these are already set).

The regular 1:1 meetings are key to ensuring you know that your people are taking care of business. Like I said, not only can you ensure Lisa's project is completed successfully, but you can help your people prioritize based on current reality and guidance you receive from above.

It comes down to communication. People ask me about their team members working from home. I say, "more power to them". As long as you've set clear expectations, are available to support them, and check in on them periodically to ensure they're OK, then you should be good to go. Of course, every now and then you need to meet face-to-face with all your team members to reconnect, but you won't have to worry about the work getting done.

If you've got a good follow-up system in place, relax and focus on your own tasks. I'm sure you have plenty to do yourself.

"Service Monday"

Providing coaching is an integral component of leadership. And receiving coaching is an integral part of every employee's development.

Coaching is one of those ideas so many of us give lip service to. Most of us believe it's a good thing to do if we have time. The thing is, we've got to make the time for coaching and it's the responsibility of the coach and the coachee to make that time happen. Discipline, as with so many other areas of management and leadership, is key here.

How about this scenario? Set each day of the week (or at least several days of the week) as a specific day to focus on development for the staff. Here's an example:

"Service Monday": Since SERVICE is such a major piece of what we should be doing daily, have specific training, feedback, review of service with the team every Monday.

"1:1 Tuesday": Every Tuesday, meet with one or two of your staff and have a 1:1 meeting with them, providing them guidance, giving them uninterrupted time to share with you. This is critical to know what's going on with your team. The goal should be that you meet with every one of your direct reports AT LEAST once a month.

"Staff Meeting Wednesday": You've gotta have, you need to have regular staff meetings. Weekly staff meetings are preferable. You have stuff going on and you and your people need to discuss.

What else for the other days? Well, you don't have to do something like this every day of the week. What about M-W-F?

What's important is that you meet with your team, you provide opportunities for coaching, training, development, and communication. There are surely several ways of constructing these opportunities for your team. How about getting with them to see what they think might work?

Work Smarter and Harder

The "quote of the day" on my site yesterday was "Nothing will work unless you do". I really like that simple statement from Maya Angelou. Simple, but powerful.

It got me thinking about another quote, "work smarter, not harder". I understand the point behind this one...if you use your brain and harness the power of the tools around you, it can make your life easier.

Do we need our lives easier?

I guess one can take that smarter and harder phrase, take it the way it was probably meant, and do great things.

Here's another question: do we need more productive lives?

In my life, I'm not looking for ways to make things easier; compared to a lot of folks in this country, and definitely around the world, I have an easy life already. What I want is for my hard work to be smartly performed. I want my smart work to be completed in an energetic, focused, diligent way always seeking out opportunities to be more productive. That's a good way for me to live. Smarter AND harder works for me.

What do you think? How do you interpret "smarter, not harder?"

Employee Retention in a Bad Economy

Times are uncertain right now. Businesses are closing. Jobs are not safe. We all know people who have lost employment and it can make our people edgy. Employees are asking, "What's going to happen with my job?" People are looking for reassurance and some level of comfort.

Do we need to worry about employee retention at a time like this? Since there aren't many jobs, is it OK to feel that our people should just watch their butts because there's no place else to go? We're all being asked to do more with less and on top of that we have to get all "touchy-feely" with our employees because they're feeling insecure?

Employee retention is an important issue at ALL times, good economy or bad. Let's face it:

1. There are a lot of average workers in the world. That's why they're called average. If you've got a superstar or even an above-average employee, chances are that potential employers could feel the same way you do.
2. There are jobs out there. Not as many jobs are available as used to be, but jobs are there. If you have talented professionals working for you and their working conditions (security, pay, duties, leadership, etc.) are less than they think is optimal, they can patiently look for something that will be better. Then, they can surprise you one day with a "Sayonara, here's my notice".
3. I guess since other talented people are out of work, it's no big deal to replace a solid, trained performer in these economic times, right? WRONG. Many HR people will tell you that it can cost 30% of a worker's salary to find a suitable replacement. 30%! How many companies have the money to be doing that very often (more than they already are)?
4. Plus, you know all the hassle that goes along with hiring new folks...or combining jobs when your boss tells you that even though your "jumper" left a funded position, you're not going to be allowed to refill the position...things are bad, remember?
5. Don't forget employee morale for those who stayed...you don't want a potential stampede of workers out your doors. What about the whole "team" thing? It just keeps adding up.

Talent retention is a key role of every boss regardless of the economy...bottom line.

Blame is way overrated

As soon as a mistake is made, what do many of us do? We rush to lay blame at the feet of the offender.

What does that do for us? It makes us feel better because there's no heat on us so that must elevate our position.

What does that do for the organization? It certainly DOES NOT move the organization forward.

In fact, the ART of Blame (and some of us do excel at that art) is, unless you're using it to help you get rid of an employee, just a waste of time...time that you're not using to fix problems and move the team or organization forward.

Peter Senge, in his book, "The Fifth Discipline", talks about how blame is so common and that we all look for opportunities to assign it. Then it's not our problem...it's someone else's. Check out this link reviewing " The Fifth Discipline" (it's hands-down the best learning book I've ever read).

Anyway, when something goes wrong or someone makes a mistake, we need to step back and think before pointing fingers. If we look at our world from a systematic approach and how we fit into our team or organization or world, rather than place blame, we need to look at how we could have positively affected the outcome. Just like we like to figure out our part in an event when it goes well, we need to ask ourselves what part we had to play or what part we could have played in an event that went way wrong. This way we're not making someone the problem; instead we're part of the solution.

Would we all like to be part of the solution where everyone is successful? Isn't that a much better way to work and live than trying to build ourselves up by tearing someone else down?

So let me ask you, does your organzation or team excel at placing blame? Do you ask yourself what you could have done to help another succeed instead of jumping on the "blame bandwagon"? How can organizations move past blame and move ahead toward shared success?

No Leader is Perfect

We all know it. Nobody's perfect and that's certainly true for leaders, too. Hopefully most of us want to be the best people we can be and most of us leaders want to be the best leaders we can be. How can we do that?

A couple of things come to mind right away:

1. Introspection. Another word might be self-awareness. Think about your actions for a given time period, a particular group, or a specific person. Reflect on whether or not you think you acted appropriately as a leader and what you might do differently or better in the future. The introspection I'm speaking about should typically be positive. The goal isn't to beat yourself up or to get mad about how someone else acted or treated you. It's about your continuous self-improvement.

2. Solicit feedback. Since perception is reality, our self-perceptions are important. Way more important, though, are the perceptions of those around you...your boss, your team members, your colleagues. Ask them how you're doing and what you can do better. Consider these:

~When you have a 1:1 conversation with a team member and give your feedback and direction, take a few minutes to let them provide feedback for you on what they think you can be doing better. This one definitely needs to have a trusting foundation or your team member will never completely open up, fearing retribution of some kind.
~Find a mentor. This person should NOT be your boss. I've had several bosses who've told me, "well, I mentor you, myself". No they don't. They guide and direct in a vertical relationship. What they do is totally appropriate, but it is not mentoring. In a mentoring relationship with a colleague or some other person you trust, it should be a horizontal relationship and you ought to be able to talk about anything and that includes your boss (how could you not talk about your relationship with your boss, you know?). It's fine for your boss to help you find a mentor, but this should be a confidential relationship where the boss is not involved (of course, confidentiality has it's limits and the expectations should be understood when the mentoring relationship starts).
~Ask your boss. Hopefully, you have a boss who values 1:1 regular discussions with you and you already are receiving thoughtful, constructive feedback already. If you're not, ask for it. I asked a boss one time what I could do better (we had no evaluation or feedback system in place at all). She said she had nothing to tell me and that I was doing great. The problem was that she had no problem telling me how I'd screwed up during the course of business. I think the problem was that she didn't know how to give me feedback so she avoided it. If you have regular feedback and guidance sessions with your boss, you should never be surprised come evaluation time (hopefully you have one). It should just be the culmination of all the work you've done with your boss throughout the evaluation period.

Bottom line: YOU are ultimately responsible for making yourself a better person, employee and leader. To a large extent, you control your destiny. If processes are not in place to help you be better, go seek them out. It's up to you.

Leaders ACT Confident

Now, why would I write that? Why would I write "Leaders ACT Confident" instead of "Leaders ARE Confident"?

Well, leaders should be confident. That's very true. However, the reality is that leaders don't always know what's going on and leaders don't always feel good about how things are going.

As I've also mentioned in an earlier post, leaders are always on display. The troops often take on the characteristics of their leader: fear, confidence, unease, strength.

So, part of our jobs as leaders are to keep our people feeling good that, even if the world around isn't that great (as with our current economy), the boss is in control and is confident of his or her abilities to handle the situation.

I used to tell my leaders 2 things:

1. Be There (I wrote more about this in a previous post)
2. Act like you know what you're doing.

Today, I would add a #3...Act confident, even if you don't feel it. Your people are counting on you.

Credit and Blame

Have you ever had a boss take the credit for your work or the work of your team?

Have you ever made a mistake and then watched your boss, when the **** started hitting the fan, step back, point at you and say "there he is"?

I have.

It sucks.

To me, those are no kind of leaders at all.

I was taught a long time ago, so long ago that I don't remember who taught me, "leaders share the credit and take the blame". I think it must have been back in my Army days. It's a code I've tried to live by for many years. Sometimes I've done better than others.

Sharing the credit. You want to build loyalty among your troops? You want to build up leaders who can carry on in future roles? You want to see your folks flourish? Then get them recognized. When your team (including you) does something great, ensure others know that they did it (not you).

Don't worry. Along with completing the mission, your team is responsible for making you look good. If you take care of them by teaching, coaching, developing and then showcasing them, you won't have any trouble looking G R E A T.

Taking the blame. Your job, as a leader, is to keep the crap off your folks so they can focus on and excel at their duties. Your job is to protect them from outside forces that might harm them. You're the mother hen, the mama bear that ensures your young survive. When your team screws up (and they will), you did it. You let those outside your team know that you take the responsibility and not because you're great, but because it's your job.

Just because you take the blame for one or more of your team when they mess up, it doesn't mean they get away with the mistake. You, as their boss, can provide the coaching and correction needed to get the culprits back on track...but you're doing it inside your team. And, hopefully, as a leader in a position of authority, you've had the opportunity to build some funds in your "credibility bank" so you can take more of the heat from outside than your team member(s) can. You've built up a thick hide so "no worries", right?

So, don't be one of those leaders who says "I" when the good stuff happens. Instead, say "we" or "they". And when the bad stuff happens, you'll have your opportunity to say "I".

Apathy -- Do we really want customers?

I recently saw this poster and had to have it so I bought a framed one off eBay the other day. In case you can't read the words in white at the bottom of the poster, it reads,

"If we don't take care of the customer, maybe they'll stop bugging us."

This is both very funny and very sad at the same time. It's very funny because it's so true and it's very sad for the same reason. Now, I don't know any business owners who feel this way about customers, but I have run into many people working for businesses who feel this way -- most of them not ALL the time -- but many of them periodically.

I've heard managers and other leaders say that they're really glad it's "quiet" today so they can get some work done or that they are so busy with customers that they can't get their own tasks taken care of. It's easy to think like this and I have to admit that I've felt that way more than once in my life.

I do think the title of "Apathy" doesn't apply to most people, but the poster does make a point. If we don't take care of our customers, they won't be back. Historically, this hasn't been the case in the medical industry where so many doctors and their staff have felt like the patients needed them more than they needed the patients...and it was often true. However, with healthcare reform being such a hot topic, many medical practices are taking a much harder look at their customer service practices and working to shape up.

What if you determine your office has more than it's fair share of apathetic reactions to customers ("more than fair share" = ANY)? What do you do about it? It's very possible that it's ingrained in the fabric of your office. It's very possible that it's been such a long pattern of behavior that it just seems that this is the way it is.

CULTURE SHIFT time. And it very well may be a tough shift. By having a shift in culture, I mean that the office or organization, as a whole, takes a look at the business and decides to change, at the core, the way things are done. For culture shifts to be successful, they must start at the very top of the team or organization. It's often easier to successfully shift a culture when there's a major change like new leadership. Then the new leader can set expectations at the beginning of how things will run.

Let's say that you've determined that the focus of your group is way too centered on the team than on the customer, meaning policies, procedures, hours, interactions, etc, are designed more for the pleasure of your team. You want to make a change, but you've been around a while so you may be part of the problem. Some people will tell you that "this is the way we've always done it" or "this is what you led us to do". These statements may be true, but when you see a mistake, do you continue making that mistake just because you've always been doing it...even if it was your idea?

So, is it impossible to change the culture to a more customer-centric one? NO. But, as the leader, it's going to take a large commitment of effort to ensure the change takes place. Where do you start?

1. Identify the problem and communicate it to everyone on the team directly.
2. Set expectations for yourself, your other leaders, and your team members.
3. Train all parties as necessary. I find that a lot of times, people know the right things to do, but they're out of practice or just haven't been doing those right things.
4. Observe staff interacting with customers
5. Coach to the behavior you want.
6. Correct, as appropriate and REWARD the same way.
7. Don't be afraid to say "good-bye" to those team members who can't or won't learn the new focus on customers (institute the "Good to Great" approach that Jim Collins laid out and decide who should be "on the bus" and in what seats).

Let's face it. You're in business to make money and you make money...long-term...by taking care of your customers and providing them the value they're looking for.